The Living Dead
by Fallen Ark Angel
Summary: As a new war brews in the Underland, Gregor once again prepares for battle. When the leader of the gnawers turns out to be someone long thought dead however, things get a lot more complicated. - Sequel to the Banished.
1. Chapter 1

The Living Dead

Chapter 1

There was possibly no thing more annoying than the sound of a young child singing. Especially a child who hardly knows how to speak. It was pure torture, really.

That's what Zander was doing at that moment as he followed Luxa and Gregor along down the hall. It couldn't really count as singing, as mostly he was humming a tune while making random noises. It was enough to drive his two guardians crazy though.

Luxa was actively ignoring him though, as they were in public. Gregor knew once they got to the royal wing, she would make him knock it off. They really couldn't get too mad at him either, as they knew to be glad that he was at the least attempting to make words. Or sounds, more like it. He was still improving.

"Zander," Gregor finally groaned when he could take it no more. "Pretend to be a tiger, buddy."

That was all it took to stop the singing and bring on the growling, as well as the faces that the little boy made when he acted as his favorite animals. Luxa gave Gregor a look, but he merely shrugged. It was better than him singing.

"Rawr!" Zander almost ran into the back of Luxa's legs when he suddenly rushed forwards, as if chasing her. "Rawr!"

"Zander." Now Luxa had to address the situation. Looking down at him, she said, "Do you wish to be carried?"

That made him shake his head no.

"Then behave. Now."

Zander looked to Gregor, but he only shrugged, shaking his head. Whining slightly, Zander fell back some, following them though he continued to pout. It was one of his main forms of retaliation when Luxa got too bossy.

"You are coming with me?" Luxa spoke to Gregor then. "Or do you have something else to do?"

"Right now? Nothing," he said. "Later, I have some soldiers I have to train."

When they made it to the royal wing, Zander finally pushed past Luxa and Gregor to run into the sitting room, where he had left his toys. They had just picked him up from the nursery and he was clearly glad to be back home.

Luxa only sighed, following him in there. "He was supposed to clean these up before, Gregor."

"Well, now he has them out so he can play with them right now. He can clean them up when he finishes with them this time."

"Perhaps that is how it works when he is staying with you in your room, but I-"

"What are you going to do, Lux? Take his toys away?" Gregor only shook his head as he went to go sit down on one of the couches.

She gave him a look as she went to join him. "Do not forget, Gregor, that you are a guest, currently."

"Please, babe, I practically live here."

She flicked his head as he only shifted to get more comfortable. They had spent most of the morning together already, in meetings dealing with a current land dispute between the gnawers and, once again, the nibblers. Gregor had to admit, it was kind of nice to be a general and actually be able to speak to Luxa when he wished. Still, being a guard had its pluses too. He really didn't have to think for himself then, which was turning out to be a lot harder than it should have been.

Zander made a loud noise then, looking over at them. Luxa only sighed before leaning against Gregor.

"He cried all night last night."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I wish I had let him stay with you."

"Poor buddy." Gregor looked over at him then. "You let him sleep in bed with you?"

"I had to, Gregor. He would cry if I left."

"He must've had a bad dream or something," Gregor said with a shrug. "I'd stayed last night, if I'd have known."

That was more or less what their life had become. It wasn't horrible, really, but it was definitely different. Suddenly they had to plan everything they did around Zander, who obviously had no consideration for them. When he was hungry, he would cry until he was fed. When he was tired, he wished to go to sleep immediately. When he wanted to play, he would fight you if you tried to take him away from his toys. He was the most annoying, aggravating thing Luxa had ever dealt with.

But seeing as Gregor put up with her every day, he was more or less already prepared.

Zander was singing again then and Gregor about just gave in and let him. It was clearly making the little boy happy. Luxa, however, had not been in a good mood in a number of days and was about tired of hearing his nonsensical babble.

"Enough," she called over to the little boy, who just looked up at her. His vocabulary was rather small, after all. "Stop. No. I mean it."

He didn't understand, apparently, and just went back to what he was doing. Luxa groaned while Gregor only smiled.

"Zander," he called. "You wanna come over here? Huh? Come sit up here with us?"

The little boy might not be able to speak very well, but he knew when he was being beckoned. Jumping up, he took a few of his stuffed animals with him as he rushed over to Gregor. Holding out his toys, he waited for Gregor to pick them up and set them on the couch before moving to climb into the man's lap.

"Yes, Gregor. I wanted him over here. Obviously," Luxa grumbled, shifting away from them.

"Well, he's quieter, at least," he reasoned as Zander snuggled up to him. "And we still need to work on his speech, huh?"

"No. Not me. I have for the past few days. I feel foolish, repeating words over and over again in hopes that he says it back." She stood then, leaving him behind. "I have not felt well for a number of days. Getting no sleep last night did not help. Wake me in an hour, Gregor."

"We could come in there with you."

"Do not," was her one warning before she was gone, off for her bedchamber. Gregor only grinned before looking down at Zander.

"You made her go, buddy. You know that?"

He didn't seem to care that Luxa was gone, only going right back to playing with his toys, now sitting in Gregor's lap. In the eight months since the end of the war with the banished, so far, Zander had been a relatively happy child. For the most part. Sometimes he cried inconsolably and did not want either Gregor or Luxa. He figured he was waiting for Usha and Vlad to get him in those times. As time went on though, those moments were happening with less frequency.

Honestly, it was Luxa that spent more time with Zander than it was Gregor. Being a general took up much of his time. It wasn't like when he was head guard and could just follow her around all day. No, it was Luxa that usually woke Zander in the morning, as his technical room was in the royal wing, and it was also her who took him to the nursery. She picked him up there in most cases too, fed him, bathed him. Honestly, Gregor was shocked she had not pawned him off on some sort of fulltime nanny. It seemed like the type of thing she would do.

Not that he told her that. He had a feeling she wouldn't think it was very funny that that was what he thought of her. Not at all.

* * *

><p>"Feel better?"<p>

"Has it been an hour already?"

Gregor nodded as he came into Luxa's room. She was just laying there, awake, watching the door.

"Yeah. You okay?"

"Just tired."

Zander jumped from Gregor's arms when he was close enough, easily landing on the bed. Luxa only sighed as he moved up to her head, staring down at her.

"Lucka," he announced, waving to her. She only rolled her eyes before closing them again.

"You got something to do for the rest of the day?" Gregor asked her then.

"Not particularly, no. Everything was finalized in the last meeting today."

"Then just stay in bed, Lux."

"Gregor, I-"

"I can take Zander."

"You are going to the arena. He-"

"He'll be good. I know he will be." Gregor reached out for the toddler, who stuck his tongue out in rebellion. It was not something Gregor liked to admit, that Zander was fonder of Luxa than him, but it was true. It was shocking and completely backwards, but it was the truth. Frowning, Gregor forcibly picked the toddler back up, who took to pouting.

"Gregor-"

"You couldn't sleep last night because of him," he reasoned. "Make up for it now, huh? I'll get you for dinner."

She was wavering. "If you are sure. He is not the best-behaved-"

"He'll be fine," Gregor insisted as Zander started whining. He probably wanted his tiger. They'd bring it with them to the arena, just in case. "Tell Luxa bye-bye, Zander."

He only reached out for her, whining. Luxa gave Gregor a hard look then, but he only grinned before turning quickly, taking the toddler with him.

"You gotta give me a chance sometimes, buddy," Gregor grumbled, stopping only to get the stuffed tiger before heading out of the royal wing. "I mean, come on."

Zander wanted to walk, of course, as he never liked being carried somewhere. And once they were too far from the royal wing for him to run back to it, Gregor set him on the ground, letting him carry his little tiger with him.

When they got to the High Hall, Zander immediately knew who to go to.

"Rawr!" He growled as he came to a stop in front of Aurora before jumping up and down, as if in accomplishment.

"Can you take me to the arena?" Gregor asked as Aurora bowed her head slightly so Zander could pat her nose. "Zander, behave."

"He is fine," Aurora told him before looking at Gregor. "Come then. And have you seen Luxa?"

"She's napping," he said, lifting Zander into his arms before setting him up on Aurora's back. Getting up there too, he said, "Zander kept her up all night."

"Then I shall leave her alone."

When they made it to the arena, Gregor thanked Aurora and she promised to pick him up later. Zander was disappointed to see her go, sticking close to Gregor when he saw all the men that were around. The only time he was in the arena was when he was taking his tumbling class, falling from the backs of fliers. And there were never men training then, as not to scare or harm the toddlers.

"Here, Zander." Gregor sat him down in the stands with his little tiger. "You stay here, huh? I gotta work, okay?"

While Gregor went back over to his men, Zander happily occupied himself by walking around in the empty stands, finding interesting bugs and things crawling around.

Gregor would look back at him at times, just to make sure he was still safe. He was. The toddler had learned to keep himself occupied when he lived out in the Uncharted Lands, no doubt, and could find the simplest things interesting.

Barrett and his men arrived some time while Gregor's were still there. They were using the other half of the arena, so Gregor really didn't plan to say anything to him. Barrett did notice Zander though and went over to the little boy to greet him. As Barrett hung around Luxa so much, Zander rather liked the man and giggled happily at the attention.

"You are never going to survive battle with that sort of stance," Gregor was complaining at one of his men at one point. "Look at the way you stand. Too much of a target. You must-"

"Uh, General?" the man cut him off before pointing behind his back. "Your…kid is escaping."

Turning, Gregor found that Zander had gotten out of the stands and was running off, looking up at the sky. Err, not sky, but what the sky technically would be considered. Looking up as well, Gregor knew that Zander must have seen something he recognized to be yelling and running the way he was.

Sure enough, there was Nike's striped belly flying over head, one of the most recognizable there was. That must have been who Zander had seen. Sigh.

When Gregor got to the boy, he immediately picked him up, though Zander tried to fight him.

"You are going to be in trouble later if you don't behave," Gregor grumbled as he took the boy over to the stands once more.

"Overlander," Barrett called then, gesturing to him. Gregor only glanced at him though, annoyed. "Come here."

Changing his path then, he carried the wiggling Zander over.

"I am busy," Gregor said simply. "What-"

"Let me see the child."

"What?"

"The child. Let me see him."

"Why-"

"To help with training, yes?"

Gregor held the wiggling toddler tighter. "What are you going to do with him?"

Barrett gave him a look. "Do you truly think I would harm Luxa's child?"

It was odd hearing Zander called that. Luxa didn't call him that. She normally just called him annoying.

Still, Barrett did have a point. So Gregor just held out Zander to the man who took him before signaling for his bond, Eos, to come down from where she was circling above the arena.

"Today, we will be playing rescue, yes?" Barrett spoke to his men, turning to go put Zander on the back of Eos. "When I was a boy, there was a great siege of the city. Some guards and soldiers had betrayed the crown and the army head. It led to the loss of King Lennox and the Prince, as well as both of their wives.

"Does anyone know what the main fault was? No one planned for it. A gnawer siege had not happened in so long, so very long, that they all got complacent. No one thought that guards, generals, and even a few fliers, would turn on Regalia. Would lose faith n the crown. But they did. And we cannot let that happen again.

"Now, the game we are going to play right now, with the Overlander's men if he is willing, which I am certain you will be, is us, the soldiers, against them, the gnawers." Barrett nodded at Zander, who had taken to petting Eos as if she were a cat or something. "The objective is to rescue him, yes? Obviously without injuring the Overlander's men…too seriously."

Gregor knew, of course, that his men would have to be the villains. It was just how it had to be, obviously. Still, Barrett did have a pretty good idea. It was rare that different divisions trained together, but it was still a novel idea. Like playing war.

"Most importantly," Barrett reminded them all loudly. "Do not kill the kid. Please. I might just lose my job, if not life."

Though Gregor's men were obviously the enemy, he still instructed them as if otherwise. After all, Luxa always told him that he was truly a rat.

Zander, for his part, had a wonderful time being flown through the air on the back of Eos. A few times he tried to jump off her and she had to adjust to make sure that didn't happen. Gregor knew that he was just trying to do what he had learned in class, which was to jump off a flier so they could catch you. It was an attempt to teach children not to be afraid of fliers and heights, under the assumption they would always be caught. Always.

Problems typically arose when a child as young as Zander went flying on a parents' bond and decided to show off what they had done in class. In Regalia, there were always fliers around. When traveling, however, there were not.

Still, eventually Zander got bored with attempting to jump off and finally decided to just enjoy the ride. Randomly he'd call down to Gregor or up to the fliers that flew over the open arena. At least he was having fun, though, so Gregor really couldn't complain.

All and all, the training went well on both side. Barrett was able to help his men and Gregor his own. When it was all said and done, Gregor let him men off while Barrett just went back to regular practice.

"You got all sweaty, buddy," Gregor commented to Zander not soon after they returned to the palace. The little boy just kept chewing on his tiger though, unconcerned. "Well, anyways, let's go wake Luxa up, huh?"

She was still in bed too, when they got to the royal wing. Zander just clambered up onto the bed with her, rubbing his stuffed tiger in her face. That got her up, rather quickly.

"Zander," Gregor sighed as she sat up quickly, surprised out of sleep. "Sorry, Lux."

She didn't even look at him, only frowned at the toddler before snatching his toy from him. Zander frowned at that, as he had only been trying to awaken her and didn't understand that he had done wrong.

It only took a few seconds for his crying to start.

With a groan, Luxa shoved the tiger back in his hands to shut him up before looking at Gregor. He only grinned, coming closer.

"You stink," was the first thing she said.

"Yeah, well," he responded with a shrug. "You're still going to let me sit on the bed, huh?"

He wasn't so certain and was very cautious as he went to get into his side of the bed. Luxa only continued to glare at him, however.

"I'm guessing you're still not feeling well?"

"I feel fine, Gregor," she told him. "I'm just…tired of…Alexander."

"Luxa-"

"Well, I am."

The little boy was sucking on the ear of his tiger then, staring up at Luxa with sad eyes. He didn't understand why she did not like his wakeup call or why she had taken his tiger away.

"You're upsetting him."

"Good, Gregor."

"Lux-"

"If you never let him know that you are displeased, how do you stop him from doing the things that cause you displeasure?"

"I don't know. I just…look at him."

Zander was still watching her, awaiting her to tell him how well-behaved he was or to compliment him on not making loud noises. She wasn't gong to though.

"Are you going to bathe before dinner?" Luxa asked Gregor then, frowning at him still. "You are covered in sweat. Honestly, Gregor, you-"

"I didn't plan to, no."

"After?"

"Nope."

"Then you are not sleeping here tonight."

"Who wants to anyways?"

"You're disgusting." With that, she stretched once before getting out of bed. "Come, Zander."

He glanced at Gregor before crawling over to the edge of the bed before jumping down to follow Luxa, taking his tiger with him.

Well then.

* * *

><p>Since becoming a general, it was almost customary that Gregor ate dinner with Luxa. It was almost like when they were kids again, really. It was nice to put the guard status behind him, honestly.<p>

It really was.

Zander had become accustom to getting steady meals and always knew when it was time for the next one. That did not stop his hording of food, however. Quite a few times, Luxa found him stuffing a biscuit in his pants or down his shirt for later. She always reprimanded him, just like she did when he would try to overstuff himself, which still happened on an at least weekly basis.

Another point of interest in meals were that it was mostly just the three of them then, less Luxa invited someone else. Nerissa was not doing so well and spent most of her time in her room once more. They were continuing to drug her, which only furthered her hallucinations. Gregor made sure to spend as much time with her as possible.

Not two months after all the banished business was complete, Vikus had passed in his sleep, so he was no longer present. Luxa locked herself away for no more than a day that time. Though she was still very obviously effected from the loss. Or at least Gregor knew she was. Of course she was. Now she had no grandparents and no parents.

She really was an orphan.

Then there was a matter of Hazard, who had decided to stay in the Fount as planned. He was most disappointed that Gregor would not be joining him, but stayed regardless. Gregor made him promise to write Luxa weekly, which he usually stuck to. A miss here or there, but then Hazard was growing up. They couldn't keep an eye on him forever.

Luxa missed him probably more than anyone. Vikus was dead and she knew that, but it had to hurt worse, having Hazard leave. He was really the only person Luxa unconditionally loved. Even Aurora and Nerissa came with stipulations. And Gregor most certainly had some. Hazard though, he could do just about anything to her and she would still protect him. She really loved him, more than anyone. More than anything. More than she had…Henry, probably. And it hurt her that he seemingly didn't have that same affection for her.

"Zander," Luxa sighed halfway through dinner when he began licking his by then empty plate. "You are not still hungry. Stop that."

He looked up at her and smiled though Luxa did not return it. Gregor knew that it was draining on her, taking care of Zander. No matter what child they took care of, it would have been, but it did not help any that Zander was far behind in development. Usha and Vlad had clearly neglected him enough so that his speech was horribly delayed for his age. He did not even recognize words when he heard them. You had to be patient when dealing with him, something that Luxa never was.

Never.

After dinner, when she tried to take Zander to be bathed like usual, Gregor spoke up and said he'd do it. He needed to bathe anyways. He made it very clear, however, that it would not become the norm for them. He bathed Zander very infrequently and planned to keep it that way.

Having a kid was great. He really did like taking care of Zander. But the day to day maintenance of it was Luxa's domain. It was just a given.

Still, he could tell that she wasn't all there and knew that if either of them had tried to reason the complications of a child being added to their lifestyle it was here. She had tried very hard to get Zander sent to a more capable couple, but he had resisted. So usually when he saw her struggling, he stepped in to take over for her. It was the least he could do, really, considering she had so much going on all together. Taking care of a child would never be one of her strong suits.

That night, after he put Zander to bed (which included about five stories and then laying there with him until he fell asleep), Gregor went off looking for Luxa. This was harder than it should have been, as she was nowhere to be found in the royal wing. As horrible of a headache as she had had, he figured that she would be in bed, but she wasn't. She wasn't anywhere.

He found her eventually, in the war room. She was seated at the table, going over some sort of scrolls while moving around the markers on the map spread across the table.

"Thought you had people to do that?"

She didn't look up as he came in. "I still do not trust my scouts. Not since-"

"It's been months. All of the traders have been smoked out and justice has befallen them."

"I trust no one. I should have been doing this myself for years. Scouts, guards. There is no loyalty. Servants either."

"You have been in quite the mood recently," he commented dryly as he went to stand behind her chair. "You trust me then?"

She didn't answer for a moment before finally asking, "What do you want, Overlander?"

"I just came to check on you. I know you were tired today, so I thought you'd be asleep. But here you are."

"Here I am."

"How long are you going to be here then?"

"Late." She looked up at him then, not moving when he leaned down to kiss her.

"All alone?" he asked after he straightened.

"Guards filter around," she told him. "Leave, Overlander. I am fine."

"Overlander," he mocked. "Are you mad at me today?"

"When I do not call you it, you are upset. When I do call you it, you get annoyed. What exactly is it that you wished to be called then, Gregor?"

He only leaned up against her chair then, reading the scroll over her shoulder. "Lot more than a land dispute going on there, huh?"

"It is merely fodder that the gnawers discuss. And do not read over my shoulder, Overlander. This is none of your concern."

"A new king brewing for the gnawers then?"

"Stop reading-"

"Oh, come on, Lux, you'd have told me eventually."

She only shook her head before getting back to the markers. "Your favorite little gnawer hasn't shown his face recently. No one's seen him. Even other gnawers are wondering where he's at."

"Maybe he's gone underground." Then Gregor thought. "More underground than usual."

"Perhaps he picked a favorite hole and is now rotting in it."

"Luxa-"

"He's old, Gregor. And wickedness will only keep you alive for so long." She laughed slightly then. "I always wanted to be the one to kill him."

"He's your bond."

"Yes," she said slowly. "I am allowed one mistake in my life, yes?"

He rolled his eyes. "You know, sometimes you could just admit that you're concerned about someone."

"Concerned," she repeated, as if the word was unfamiliar to her. "The only thing I am concerned with is your job status, should you continue to bother me."

"I just wish you would go to bed with me, is all."

"I am not going to. I already slept."

"Fine." He only shook his head. "I will be waiting for you."

"Do not be. I do not wish for you to-"

"I don't wanna leave Zander alone in the royal wing, Lux."

She paused at that before nodding slightly. "Fine."

He didn't leave then though, only continued to stand behind her. She was ignoring him quite well, however, and he figured she'd continue to.

"Do you wish for me to help?" he asked finally. "Is that what you want?"

"I do not want anything. Why must I want something?"

"There's clearly a reason that you plan on spending your night doing this instead of going to bed with me," he remarked. "I would just like to find out what the reason is, is all."

"There is no reason, Gregor. I only-"

"Then I shall sit here, huh? And-"

"No. This business is of no concern of-"

"Over here, eh?" He sat at the end of the table, far away from her. "I can't read a thing all the way over here. Out of the way."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but he only smiled at her, as if pleased with himself. Shaking her head, she went back to her scrolls.

"So…do I have to sit here quietly or-"

"You do not have to sit here at all. If you must though, then yes. Sit there quietly."

He knew what she was doing. Now it was a game. Who would break first? Who would leave first? Well, fine then. If she wished to play a game, he would play her game.

And he did play her game. For a long time. Then, eventually, he started to get tired.

When he first laid his head down on the table, it was with the intention of only resting his eyes. Of course, many people knew of that this technique never quite worked the way it was intended. It always failed. Always.

It was late when Gregor awoke. Someone, no doubt Luxa, had taken all of the torches from the room and he was in darkness. Great. She could be so loving at times. Too bad those times were far and in between…

When he finally made it to the royal wing, he found Luxa already asleep, but alone. Zander must have stayed the entire night in his own bed. Huh. He must have really been tired.

"You're lucky I love you so much," Gregor complained to Luxa as he stripped himself of his clothing before getting into bed with her. She was truly asleep though and did not move towards him in the slightest.

He laid there for a long time too before she awoke. And even then, it was just with a sleepy moan before moving to lay her head on his chest.

"Are you going to apologize?"

"No," she yawned, snuggling against him. "Are you mad?"

Sighing, he said, "No. I want to be, but no."

After laying there for a moment, she said, "Gregor?"

"Mmmm?"

"There might have been more on those scrolls than I told you. Or the other generals. More than just land disputes."

"I know. I knew it. I could tell."

She would have rolled her eyes and accused him of lying, had she felt better. As it was though, she only whispered, "Gregor?"

"Mmmm?"

"…I think we might have to fight another war."

He should have been shocked. The land dispute was nothing, really. Just the gnawers needing to be put in their place once more. Whatever else she was getting from her scouts must have been pretty major. Still, he only shut his eyes before kissing her head.

Softly, he told her, "What else is new?"

She swallowed before saying, "I think we also might have another prophecy."


	2. Chapter 2

The Living Dead

Chapter 2

"I wish she would just get on with this. Waking up early is not something I find enjoyable."

Barrett sneered at the other man as he taunted, "Getting old, Mareth?"

He only narrowed his eyes. "You-"

"Enough. Both of you." Perdita was still just standing there, watching the doorway. "You said she would be soon, Gregor?"

"Yeah. She was just getting ready."

Mareth turned his attention to the table then, frowning slightly. "What has she done to the map? Or has Zander done this?"

"She stayed up late last night," Gregor said then. "To work on this."

"She has used an odd color code," Barrett remarked, glancing at Gregor. "The gnawers are divided into new groups then?"

"I do not know. She did not tell me much."

"If this is about her damn nibblers, I am going to be annoyed," Mareth said with a shake of his head.

"What exactly were you woken from?" Barrett asked. "Or from where, I suppose, is the better question?"

"Do not make me send one of you away," Perdita finally said. "Because you know who I will choose, Barrett."

He looked off then as Mareth only shook his head.

"Good. You are all here."

They all glanced up then, as Luxa came into the room, Zander following along behind her. No one made a fuss over it though, as it was so early that the nursery was still closed. There was nowhere else for him to go.

Luxa sat him in a chair, making sure it was too far from the table for him to reach the map markers, before she took her place standing with the rest of them. Zander still looked pretty sleepy and only waved at Gregor before taking to sucking on the ear of his tiger, who just had to come along. He just had to.

"What is it that you wished to speak with us on?" Perdita finally asked. It was rare that she was out of the loop and it was clearly bothering her. "Luxa?"

"Starting around last month, I began getting reports from scouts about a cell of gnawers that began conjugating in rarely used caverns, here," she began, pointing out a spot on the map. It meant nothing to Gregor, but he tried his hardest to stay interest. It was proving difficult though, as Zander making faces at him. "This would not be of concern if it was elsewhere, but we all know of this area."

When all the others nodded, Gregor only looked to Luxa for help. She offered none, only continuing right back on with her speech.

"It is a good hiding place," Perdita remarked. "Hard to get to. Perhaps-"

"It is," Luxa agreed. "But who would they have to hide from? We are not at war. We are being rather peaceful. And it is not the main gnawers there."

"Meaning what?" Mareth asked.

"None of their top fighters. They are still conjugated in their normal sectors." She pointed out the distinct groups that she had set the markers in. "Except for Ripred, but most assume him dead at this point. But regardless, none of the rats that have gathered in the forgotten caverns are thought of as any importance. They-"

"Then why are we concerned?" Barrett asked with a frown. "I mean-"

"Do not cut me off again, Barrett, less you can join them." She gave him a hard stare before looking back at the map as if thoughtful. "It is not so much that they have returned to this place after so long. I honestly do not care. It is the messages that they are sending to one another."

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged slightly. "They have not had a good code since the Prophecy of Time. They have not been bright enough to think of one so easy for their simple minds to remember. The scouts, if they are to believed-"

"They are," Perdita told her, as if annoyed. It was her job to handpick scouts and she always did so with care. Luxa had reprimanded her pretty badly, when the whole banished stuff proved to have traitors among the ranks. "I assure you."

"Very well," Luxa said, nodding her head. Barrett only frowned, as he had been reprimanded when he cut her off. "They tell me that the gnawers there speak of a new leader. They do not name him, else the men have not been able to figure out his name. Instead they simply call him the Reclaimer."

That caused Perdita to pause before frowning deeply. "Why have you not mentioned this before? This could be-"

"I know what this could be," she told her with a frown. "I could not just go telling everyone. I had to wait, until-"

"If it is the Reclaimer-"

"I know the implications."

"That means that we have a new prophecy to busy ourselves with and-"

"Perdita," Mareth sighed. "Do you not think that the gnawers would not expect this reactions from us?"

"What do you mean, Mareth?"

"They would expect us to get into a frenzy. The Reclaimer, the Reclaimer." He shook his head slightly. "They know that we would associate such a name with the prophecy. They-"

"Uh, what prophecy?" Gregor spoke up finally. "Is there some sort of-"

"We can talk later," Luxa dismissed him before addressing the others once more. "Yes, Mareth, they could be tricking us, but what if they are not? The Reclaimer is very much a real thing. You have read the prophecy."

"We have all read it," he agreed softly. "But do well to remember that they have as well. The gnawers know that we follow Sandwich's teachings closely. It would not take a too intelligent rat to use one against us."

Gregor thought suddenly of Ripred and nodded his head. Yeah, that made sense. It made a lot of sense. But still, if that were true…why then? Why that moment? Why were they deciding to pretend there was this Reclaimer guy if there was not? It made no sense for them to suddenly chose then to do it. The gnawers and humans were at peace, for lack of a better term. It was truly just bad planning.

"That is all fine and well, Mareth, to think, but that does not help us in knowing if it is true or not," Luxa remarked in a pinched tone. "We must-"

Zander started yelling then, though Gregor could tell from his tone that he was just happy and wanted attention. Luxa only stepped forwards to pick him up before continuing.

"We must be certain," she finished as Zander settled in her arms, sniffling slightly. He was probably hungry; it wasn't even time for breakfast yet. "But I do not wish to instill panic. Barrett-"

"I will go and investigate for you, yes?"

"…You now get to stay behind. Gregor will be taking some of his men." She gave him a look then. "I warned you about speaking out."

Barrett's face set then, hard, while Gregor only stared at her for a moment.

"I-I get to go?" he asked.

"Do you not wish to?" She gave him a look then, but it was ruined as Zander was also looking his way while smiling.

"I haven't, you know, done anything since the banished, but…yeah." He smiled slightly then. "Except I do not know anything about the Reclaimer, so I won't know what to look for."

"See? He does not know what he is doing. I should go," Barrett argued then. "I can-"

"Do not annoy me further, General," was all Luxa told him. "If Gregor cannot go, then Mareth, would you like to? One of you? I have tired of this discussion as it is."

"I want to go," Gregor argued. "One of you just needs to tell me about the Reclaimer."

Barrett snorted, looking off. Luxa only continued to stare down at the map for a moment before shaking her head.

"Go, Barrett, then," she finally decided. "Take a few of your soldiers. Be gone no more than two days. Try not to drawl attention to yourself."

"Thank you," he said, bowing his head then. Gregor only made a face, annoyed that he had taken the job from him.

"Lucka!" Zander reached up and hit her in the head, causing her to immediately put him on the ground, hissing something harsh at him as she bent down. Perdita only shook her head before looking at Barrett.

"Are you certain of the location?" she asked skeptically. "It is not somewhere that I imagine you would have ventured before."

"I am not incompetent," he told her with a frown. "I can read a simple map."

"The caverns and tunnels are extensive," Mareth said with a nod of the head. "I-"

"So you think we should send the Overlander then? Who has a hard enough time figuring out how to get to the Fount?"

Gregor frowned. "You know, I never do anything to you for the most part, but they you sit here and act like a douche-"

"Enough," Luxa said, standing up straight once again. "All of you. I am tired of the fighting. You boys and your egos have finally cracked me. None of you shall go. Perdita, you shall."

"Me?" She paused for a second before nodding her head. "Yes. Of course. Solovet left the capital far more than I do and she was the best general-"

"Do not start about her again," Mareth groaned. "Please. I have heard enough about Solovet and how much you loved her. It is almost disgusting."

Perdita took to glaring at him while Luxa only rolled her eyes.

"Then we are done here. Perdita shall go and the three of you shall reflect on your poor attitudes. It is not about playing favorites or who gets exactly what they want; it is about what is better for my kingdom. Do well to remember that. Else I will remember to review your job statuses."

When Luxa turned to leave, Zander headed out to follow her, but Mareth called out to the boy.

"He has tumbling today, yes?" Mareth asked as Zander cautiously headed over. "In an hour or so. I shall keep him until then."

"He must be fed," Luxa said wearily. Gregor knew she did not really want him anyways. And Mareth did watch Zander for them sometimes, when Gregor was too busy and Luxa wasn't in the mood.

"As must I," he said as Zander came to a stop in front of him. "Come, Perdita."

"Me? I do not wish to feed him."

"Yes, well, you must decide on men. I can help."

"Oh, can you?"

"Most certainly. Name me someone more qualified."

"Myself."

"Hardly."

"Mareth-"

"I am the man, after all. It is only commonplace that I be better-"

"The man of what?"

"Everything I am ever involved in."

"The most annoying man, maybe, but-"

"She kids now, does she?"

Zander willingly went with them for some reason, though Gregor assumed it was because he had just been reprimanded by Luxa. No way he wanted to hang around her after that.

"You should go spend some time alone, Barrett," Luxa told him then. "Away from me. Please. I cannot stand to look at you currently."

His gaze hardened on her for a moment before he nodded and gave a slight bow, heading out of the room right after that. Then it was just them.

"Meet me in the prophecy room in about two hours," Luxa told Gregor then.

"What are you gonna do until then?"

"Me? Nothing. You, though, are on just as much punishment as Barrett. I do not wish to see you either."

"Luxa-"

"Leave."

"How come I only have to stay away two hours and he has to the whole day?"

She gave him a look for that. "Because it was a complete lie about playing favorites. Is that what you wish to hear? Now go."

Rolling his eyes, Gregor headed out of the room as well, though he really had no purpose. He had training late in the day, like usual, but other than that he was free. He had planned to do some gambling, but with his meeting with Luxa only being two hours away, that was an out. He couldn't be late for that, after all, and did not trust himself not to get carried away.

It was still early and, with little else to do, he just headed back to bed, hoping he would not oversleep.

* * *

><p>"Nerissa. I was not expecting you to be here."<p>

"Ah, Overlander, but I was expecting you."

Frowning, he came further into the prophecy room, slightly shocked to find Nerissa huddled up in one corner, covered in blankets though she shivered regardless. He had not seen her out of her room in a number of days, after all.

"Oh?" he asked before looking around. "I was expecting Luxa."

"You wish to know of a prophecy, yes?" She looked up at him then. "Who better to tell you of it?"

Vikus. Always Vikus. But that option was no longer on the table.

"What does Luxa have to do that she couldn't come here?"

"I do not know, Gregor. I merely saw her an hour ago and she told me to meet you here."

Hmmm. She was up to something. Again. Really, it was getting to where it wasn't even fun to figure her out.

"So come closer then, yes?" Nerissa was looking at the wall again, the lamp lighting up a specific section of the wall. "And let me read to you the Prophecy of the Reclaimer."

Coming closer to her, Gregor sat down as well, feeling rather uncomfortable, but figuring he should just get the whole thing over with.

He followed the etched text with his eyes, hardly listening as she spoke. Nerissa actually wasn't even looking at the words, just leaning forwards to rest her hand against the stone, eyes closed, as she whispered the words from memory.

"_When the darkness falls over the land_

_A champion must learn to stand_

_Else Regalia will be forced to play into another's hand._

_With enemies once more aligned in packs,_

_All the weight of the Underland drops on our backs._

_Can we stop the Reclaimer in his tracks?_

_Death's embrace never beckoned quite this way._

_If the champion falls none will wish to stay._

_Finally the gnawers' shining day._

_Chances are slim, so hunt them down._

_The Reclaimer cares for only one crown._

_Life is bleak for one without love around._

_Now the champion faces the Reclaimer._

_Can he be the Underland's savior?_

_Cut him deep, do Death a favor._

_Should the champion fall, welcome in a new reign,_

_As the Underland loses all that is sane._

_And slowly pleasure becomes pain."_

They both sat there for some time afterwards, Gregor rereading the words silently to himself, Nerissa in some sort of a trancelike state as she mumbled softly to herself.

"Now," she began suddenly, lifting her head. "Do you understand who the Reclaimer is?"

"Not exactly, no," Gregor said slowly. "I'm more concerned with the champion, though."

"The champion means only that we will have a new person fighting for Regalia, yes? Like when you were Luxa's personal guard. You were her champion, yes? If you were killed by Barrett, he would become take your place. If we were still so barbaric, I mean."

He blinked before glancing at her. "I wasn't her personal guard. I was-"

"You are still her champion, for all intents and purposes," Nerissa told him softly, pulling a blanket tighter around herself. "You fight for her, yes? If Luxa would only explain away your relationship in that method, then-"

"I think we should focus on the prophecy."

Nerissa glanced at him before reaching for his hand. When he gave it to her, she only made him reach out and run a finger across the first line of the prophecy, then the second, and then the third.

_When the darkness falls over the land_

_A champion must learn to stand_

_Else Regalia will be forced to play into another's hand._

"The Reclaimer is the darkness. The champion is no doubt young, yes? He will have to find his footing."

"Or," Gregor said slowly. "He stands behind another."

"Hmmm?"

"Like one of our soldiers. Like Barrett's men or mine. They stand behind us, yes? If one of them were champion, they would have to stand on their own."

Nerissa nodded slightly then, as if tiredly. "I suppose so."

"And if they don't, or we don't let them, Regalia will be at the mercy of the gnawers, because our new champion must be around to defeat the gnawers."

"See? I am not even certain you need me."

She ran his hand over the next stanza then.

_With enemies once more aligned in packs,_

_All the weight of the Underland drops on our backs._

_Can we stop the Reclaimer in his tracks?_

"More proof that it is the gnawers," Gregor said then. "Packs, tracks."

"And we always protect the less fortunate," Nerissa added. "The crawlers, the nibblers. Even the fliers need our help with the gnawers. All that is a heavy weight for Regalia."

_Death's embrace never beckoned quite this way._

_If the champion falls none will wish to stay._

_Finally the gnawers' shining day._

"We would rather die than live under the reign of a gnawer king with more power than ourselves."

"It has happened before?"

"King Gorger, of course, was the closest in recent times," Nerissa said softly. "Especially when he killed the King and Queen. My parents as well. Everyone thought that we would fall. All our allies thought that we would fall."

"But you did not," Gregor reminded her softly. "And Luxa fears no rat."

"Oh, but she does, Gregor. She always has. Less now that she is older, but she still very much so fears another siege. I am sure it was very traumatic for her."

"You too," Gregor said then. "You were there too."

Nerissa paused for a moment before dragging his finger across the wall again.

_Chances are slim, so hunt them down._

_The Reclaimer cares for only one crown._

_Life is bleak for one without love around._

"No doubt the Reclaimer will be much like the Bane," Nerissa told him then. "Born and bred to defeat us. You remember when the Bane was a pup, yes? No one cared for him. He has been told that he only wants one thing so now he believes that."

"Luxa's crown," Gregor agreed softly, nodding his head.

_Now the champion faces the Reclaimer._

_Can he be the Underland's savior?_

_Cut him deep, do Death a favor._

"They will face off, our champion and the Reclaimer," Nerissa told him softly then. "But when do the hero and villain not clash? He is to save the Underland. You have been in that position before."

"Why is Death capitalized?"

"Hmmm?"

"Look. It's not in the first of the line. That's why it is before. This time it is capitalized."

"Some refer to Death as a being," Nerissa said with a shrug of her shoulders. "You know this."

"I know this. But it just seems out of place. Sandwich normally is very consistent. I have never seen him refer to Death in such a way before."

"I wonder, Gregor, why you care so much?"

"What do you mean?"

She looked at him then. "You do not believe in it anyhow. What difference does it make to you?"

"Wh-What?"

"You have said it enough, before. Your worst kept secret. Other than Luxa." Nerissa only moved to drag his hand over the last stanza.

_Should the champion fall, welcome in a new reign,_

_As the Underland loses all that is sane._

_And slowly pleasure becomes pain._

"Of course, if the champion loses, then the Reclaimer wins," Nerissa went on. "He reclaims the-"

"Reclaims," Gregor repeated slowly. "That would imply that he has held it before. That Regalia was his first."

"Of course. Parts of our land did belong to the gnawers. Others the diggers. They were killed or pushed back for our cities to be built. Many, many gnawers lived in the Fount. The streams are best there for fishing, yes? Now they have to go through Regalia to get to it and cannot. I am certain if they took us over, many would move to the Fount region."

Gregor just sat there for a moment after Nerissa let go of his hand. "Hey, Nerissa?"

"Hmmm?"

"How will we know that we have found our new champion?" He glanced over at her. "The prophecy doesn't really tell."

"It is well known among those who study the prophecies that sometimes Sandwich left things unclear for a reason. The prophecies you were in, warrior, were different, yes? We knew you immediately. But most are not so. The champion will reveal himself when the time is right."

"And if he does not? If he does not stand up?"

She smiled at him then before saying, "Then I hope that our dead warrior is enough to hold the Reclaimer off until he does."

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

"Zander-"

"No."

"Put it-"

"No!"

Gregor frowned as he came into Luxa's sitting room to find Zander standing in the center of the room, standing in front of his toys while glaring up at Luxa. Other than her name, there were only a handful of words that Zander knew. His second favorite?

"Zander-"

"No!"

"What's going on?" Gregor asked, causing Luxa and Zander to both look at him. "Lux?"

"He won't put up his toys."

"Zander," Gregor sighed, going over to the boy. "You gotta clean up, buddy."

"No." He shook his head at Gregor. "No."

"Yes." Gregor stared hard down at him. "Put them up. Now. You want help?"

So Gregor helped the little boy, Luxa only standing by silently. She was clearly still upset, but Gregor didn't address her until all the toys were put away in Zander's room.

"Seriously, Lux? Was it that hard?"

She wouldn't look at him though. "I told him to do something. He-"

"He's a baby."

"He is not. He is-"

"He might as well be," Gregor argued. "You just need to stop yelling at him all the time. Arguing. You're not-"

"You never punish him, Gregor. You only-"

"Why should I? He didn't do anything wrong. So he didn't listen to you. Big deal. He just wanted to keep playing with his toys. That's what little kids do. They-"

"What if something happened, Gregor? And I needed him to do as I said? If someone was trying to hurt him?"

"That's simple, Luxa. You would just pick him up and-"

"But what if I couldn't, Gregor? What if I was trying to fight-"

"It's still different. And it won't ever happen, Luxa. No one's going to-"

"Someone did, Gregor. Someone came into my home when I was a child and killed both of my parents. Now the Reclaimer-"

"And I killed that person, didn't I? Huh? Didn't I?"

She looked off again. "Well, his own actions led to his death more than yours did, but-"

"Luxa."

Sighing, she said, "He has to learn to listen to me, Gregor. When I tell him something, he must do it. It is the only way he will stay safe."

At the moment, Zander had taken to climbing up on the couch, his little tiger with him. It was the only toy that never got put up. It went everywhere with him.

"What are you guys doing in here anyways? And where were you this morning? You totally ditched me and put Nerissa in your place. Then you didn't eat lunch, you weren't in the war room-"

"I was outside of the palace."

"And you never thought to mention it to me?"

"No."

"Luxa-"

"Lucka!" Zander wanted attention again now that they were done fighting. "Lucka."

She gave him a look that shut him up before looking back at Gregor. "I had business to attend to that was more important than you."

"You met with someone," he finally said, reading her face and stance. "Didn't you? Who?"

"Whom."

"Luxa-"

"If you must know, first I picked Zander up from his tumbling class, and then I went to meet with some of the retired political men around Regalia."

"Why?"

"It has to do with the area that the gnawers are gathered, Gregor."

"Okay, well, what about it?"

She glanced at Zander then, who had taken to sitting silently while watching them, waiting for one of them to give him some attention. He was a very needy child at times.

"It used to be a heavily populated area of tunnels. There is access to a cleaner area of the stream there," she told him with a shrug. "But then there was a…problem."

"Problem?"

"The head of the army at the time-"

"Solovet?"

"No," she said with a frown. "It was before she was in power, even. The head of the army ordered that the streams be poisoned. And they were. Even the Garden of Hesperides was not as graphic. The poison did not take immediate effect. It was a slow death. They continued to use it for some time after the original poisoning. Most all the gnawers populated there died.

"Even now, many gnawers do not go there, just for fear of contamination. Knowing that they are conjugating there causes me much fear. Either they are foolish or there really is something there. The Reclaimer. Why else would they be there?"

Gregor only stared at her for a moment before saying, "Did this happen under your father? The poisoning?"

"My grandfather."

"Hmmm."

"I was not doing anything secretive, Overlander. Or at least not a secret to you."

"I didn't say you were."

"You always accuse me of-"

"I don't accuse you of anything, Luxa. When you do something though, I do you call you out on it."

"You-"

"Why are we even fighting, Lux? Huh? Think about it."

Instead, she only went over to the couch to pick up Zander. "I do not wish to eat tonight. Take Alexander and get him fed, as well as yourself."

"Lux, you have to eat."

"I am not hungry, Overlander."

"Luxa, you never eat. Did you eat at all today? I mean, you hardly ate yesterday. Why-"

"I ate with Zander today, during lunch. I do not hunger again."

"That's not healthy. I thought we talked about-"

"Then it is not healthy, Gregor. It does not change the fact that I do not hunger." She bounced Zander slightly in her arms, who only buried his face in her neck. "I am going to go over some more scrolls. Then-"

"Lux, if you're not going to eat, at least go to bed."

"I do not-"

"Tire. You do not hunger. You do not anything. If we're really on the brink of a new prophecy, Luxa, then don't you think that maybe you should try and stay in good health? Or something? Because drinking wine and not eating isn't helping you. This-"

"Do not lecture me, Gregor. I will not stand for it."

"I am not lecturing you, Lux. I'm trying to help you. I care about you and-"

"You've said this all before and-"

"Then fucking listen for once. I mean, God, Luxa, just-"

"Leave," she cut him off, her voice cutting through his tone. "Now."

"Luxa-"

"Go. And do not come back here tonight."

"I-"

"You will not yell at me or be profane. Leave." She rubbed Zander's back, holding him to her. "This is what playing favorites gets me."

Gregor was understandably pissed when he left the royal wing, though he only went to the mess hall to drink and get something to eat. He figured that he'd go see Luxa again later, when she calmed down some. She was always on the defensive about every little thing. It shouldn't have to be that way.

When he went looking for her later that night, he found her in bed, like he figured. She really hadn't been feeling well recently.

"Did he have another bad dream?"

Luxa did not move as Gregor stripped down and got into bed. "No. After I fed him, I just wanted him in here with me."

"'cause you were so mean to him today," he reasoned.

"No," she told him. She was curled towards him, Zander sleeping between them with his little tiger under one arm. "I was not mean to him, Gregor. One of us is going to have to teach him to mind and it's clearly not going to be you."

"Well," Gregor began slowly. "You were certainly mean to me today."

"I was not." She made a face at him. "And I thought I told you that I did not wish to see you again?"

"You did, probably. But I don't care. I sleep better when I'm in here. When you and Zander are with me." He glanced down at the little boy before correcting himself. "Or at least when he's in his room. Really, Luxa, him sleeping in here happens too much."

"It is my room," she argued with a frown. "And I think that it is you that is here too much."

Zander whined slightly at the sound of their voices and Luxa only sighed before pulling him closer to her.

"When does Perdita leave?" Gregor asked softly.

"We both agree that she shall leave in two days. My scouts continue to give me information, however."

"I really think that I could have gone," he mumbled, shifting to lay on his stomach.

"I offered it to you and you-"

"Why did you offer it to me anyways? You rarely let me do anything fun. I have to fight you to go anywhere."

"I thought that you might like to get out of the capital. And out of all of them, you have the most experience in dealing with something like the Reclaimer."

"The Bane, you mean."

"You killed him," she said with a nod of her head.

"You think that I am the champion?"

"Most certainly not. You are supposed to be dead to the Underland." Luxa shook her head. "If it was not for me, you would not be here."

"Don't I know it?"

Making a face, she warned, "Do not make me force you out again."

He just yawned, closing his eyes. "Lux?"

"What?"

"…You know that I just want to keep you safe, right?"

"Gregor-"

"Just eat more, Luxa. And sleep more. I just want to protect you, you know? Even from yourself." He shut his eyes. "I know you get stressed out and I know that I don't really help with that, but just eat something, okay? I worry."

"You worry for no reason."

"I'm allowed to be concerned, Luxa."

"Why?"

"Why? Because I'm your…boyfriend or whatever," he said, frowning. "And I know how sickly Nerissa is. I don't want that to happen to you."

"It won't. Nerissa is weak minded. She-"

"And you are strong minded. Yeah, I know. But still, Lux. I just…I don't want anything to happen to you, okay? Ever. Never ever." He shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable while also not bothering Zander. It was hard at times. "I love you."

She shifted on the bed then, just staring at him. "Yes, well, I… I suppose I can eat more. If you're that concerned."

He'd heard that lie before. Still, there was nothing more he could do really. He was tired from training that day, honestly, and having the thoughts of the new prophecy on his mind wasn't helping anything. He just wanted to sleep the whole thing off.

"Greg?" she whispered after a moment.

"Mmmm?"

"I love you too."

Smiling finally, he just let out a long sigh. "Yeah, I know."

* * *

><p><strong>If you guys only knew how much I hate writing prophecies. Ugh. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

The Living Dead

Chapter 3

"Can you be good today, buddy?" Gregor looked down at Zander who was walking along next to him, his little tiger in his arms. "Huh? Say yes, Zander."

"'es." Zander nodded up at him with a smile. "'es."

"Good job. You speak so well. You know that?"

He just went back to walking and ignoring Gregor. Which was just as well. They were only heading to the nursery, after all. Gregor would be without him soon enough.

"Luxa will probably pick you up later," the man went on. "Huh? Okay?"

"Lucka." Zander giggled. "Lucka."

When they got to the nursery, it didn't take long for Gregor to get Zander settled. There were some other kids there, but like always, Zander just took his tiger over to an area by himself and sat down to play alone. Gregor always tried to encourage him to play with other kids, but it just didn't work. The nursery workers told him before that Zander would give the other kids toys, sometimes, but that was about all the interaction he had with them. Gregor figured it was mainly from the fact that he didn't know how to speak that halted him from getting along with other children.

After dropping him off, Gregor headed off to go find Luxa. She had disappeared that morning before he or Zander woke up, and had never come back to bed. He figured that she was just in the war room or that she took off to keep him from hounding her to eat breakfast. Probably the latter.

"Have you seen Luxa?"

Mareth glanced up as Gregor came into the war room. "Have you not seen Luxa?"

"Not today, no. Why?"

"I do not know. I was just confused as to why you would think I would see her. It is still early."

"Well, was she not in here?"

Mareth was seated at the table, going over some sort of scroll or something. "I have not seen her, no. Perdita was here earlier, but she left to- Ah, here she is."

Perdita came into the room then, nodding at Gregor slightly as she headed over to the table, bringing two plates with her.

"Here," she said, setting one in front of Mareth before taking a seat next to him. "I did not know that you would be here, Overlander, less I would have gotten you food as well."

"I ate with Zander," Gregor said, but Mareth only shook his head.

"It is what she has been reduced to. My servant."

"The more you talk, the less I even wish to come back, Mareth," Perdita told him with a frown.

"Gonna join the gnawers while you are away?" he asked with a smile. "They would hate you as much as we do. Bossy, arrogant, self-serving-"

"That is me then? It sounds as if you are describing Barrett."

That made Mareth laugh loudly, but Perdita did not smile. She was rare to do so, after all.

"Have you seen Luxa?" Gregor asked finally. "I cannot locate her."

"I think she was visiting Nerissa."

"Nerissa?"

"Aye." Perdita only shrugged slightly. "I saw her heading to the hospital wing, at least."

"Why would she-"

"Is Nerissa not there?"

"No."

"Perhaps she is visiting the sick," Mareth offered up. "That is something that a normal queen would do."

"Maybe," Gregor said slowly before looking them over. "Why are you two eating in here?"

"We are reviewing the scrolls that Luxa has been hording," Perdita told him with a shake of her head. "I wish to know exactly what I am going into."

"If you had just let me go-"

"You are disabled, Mareth," she told him with a sigh. "Besides, Solovet would have-"

"Solovet, Solovet, Solovet. Is Solovet your god, Perdita?"

"N-No. I-"

"Were you attracted to her?"

"No! Of course not. I-"

"Then enough about her, yes?" He rolled his eyes. "She is dead now. Dead. You are not her. You shall never be her. You should never wish to be her. She-"

"Why would you not wish to be her? She was the head of the army, her husband was a political power, her daughter was the queen, her other daughter was married to the governor, and her son was one of the best soldiers Regalia has ever seen."

"There you go again," Mareth tsked. "She was a coldhearted woman. Worse than her oldest daughter. She-"

"Bite your tongue. Should Luxa hear you-"

"I am disabled. What can she do to me?"

He got a long stare from Perdita for that before she looked back to Gregor.

"In short, Overlander, no, we do not know where Luxa is or what she is doing."

"Join us, Gregor," Mareth said then, waving him over. "Do not leave me with her now that she is in a bad mood."

"I am not in a bad mood. You have attempted to put me into one-"

"I have not. I merely opened a dialogue with you. You are the one that-"

"Perhaps the Overlander should take my place, yes? Before I decide that I do not wish to speak to you at all."

"You are always so emotional," Mareth sighed, shaking his head. "Women in power cause more deaths than-"

"You are not funny."

"Lighten up." He grinned down at her before looking at Gregor. "The Overlander knows I am joking. Yes?"

Gregor was hardly paying attention to them, honestly. He was more concerned with where Luxa was, honestly. If she really was in the hospital, for what reason? Someone must be sick, but who? Hazard was gone and as far as he knew, Nerissa was fine. Who else was around?

"Luxa is fine, Gregor," Perdita finally said, making him look back at her. "She is no doubt just looking in on someone. Come sit."

"Where's Zander then?" Mareth asked as Gregor slowly came to take a seat on the other side of Perdita. She was technically where Luxa would be sitting if present, but it didn't really matter at the moment.

"Nursery. I thought that I'd have something to do today."

"Spending time with us is having something to do." Mareth looked to Perdita then. "Did you finalize the men you are to take?"

"Yes. And shockingly enough, I am taking none that you suggested."

"See how she treats me?" He gave her a look. "This is your life, you know, that you're putting at risk by going into the Dead Lands. Purposely taking other people to get back at me is not-"

"You think to give me suggestions now? I outrank you by much, Mareth. Do remember it."

He only grinned though. "You have no idea how glad I will be when you are gone off in the Dead Lands. No idea."

"Your life changes little, I am sure, when I am in the capital and when I am not."

"I have to spend time with you when you are here, else you'll get your little feelings hurt. Just like a woman."

"It is so funny that you choose still to spend the majority of your time away from me with women regardless."

"See?" Mareth looked to Gregor then for confirmation. "I did not bring it up that time. She did. I said nothing about it."

"It is the truth. You always complain about me, but then you do not spend your time with other males when I am away. You just fill it with-"

"There is something very important that I am doing with the other women that makes my time with you less interesting."

"You really wish for me to be upset with you today," she accused. "But you are trying to put it off on me. What have you done then, Mareth?"

"My life is my life," he told her simply before going back to his plate of food.

"Yet you always feel the need to bring it up."

"You are welcome to do the same with yours." Then he made a noise with his tongue. "I forgot. You do not have one outside of me and your work. How sad."

"Mareth-"

"You know that I do not like eggs," he commented then, poking at his breakfast. "Yet you got them anyways."

"That's all there was, Mareth. Grow up."

"You got it on purpose."

"If you do not wish to eat it then do not eat it. Honestly."

"Honestly," he mocked, shaking his head at her. "You might as well get lost in the Dead Lands for all I care."

She narrowed her eyes at him before calmly saying, "Yes, well, at least I can go there and come back with all of my body parts. Tell me, Mareth, how is that leg of yours?"

He glared at her then for a moment before pushing up from his seat and heading out of the room, taking his plate of eggs with him. Once he was gone, Perdita only shook her head before going back to her scrolls, sliding some to Gregor after a moment's thought.

Not that he really wanted to stick around after that. She and Mareth had just made it unbearably awkward, but at the same time, he knew that it would be rude to leave. Not to mention he really had nowhere to go. Being a general seemed to require a lot of self prescribed work, but he wasn't too good at doing that. Luxa normally told him what to do. She always had. Thinking for one's self was not all it was cracked up to be.

"Has there been any new news about the Reclaimer?"

Perdita glanced up at him when he said that before shaking her head slightly. "No. Not that I can be too certain, as apparently Luxa does not share every single scroll she has with me."

"Welcome to my life," Gregor grumbled with a shake of his head. Then, glancing at her, he slowly asked, "Are you and Mareth-"

"He was begging to fight, practically," Perdita said with a shrug. "He will get over it and later be back to apologize. He just wishes to fight with me before I leave."

"Why?"

"He will not admit that he does not want me to go." She shrugged slightly. "He would have rather gone."

"Maybe he just would rather you stayed safe," Gregor suggested. That made her pause, but just as quickly she shook her head.

"He is jealous. I cannot blame him. If I had been the one to lose a leg instead of him, perhaps he would have my job currently."

Gregor nodded slowly then before saying, "It's really none of my business anyways."

He hung around with Perdita for awhile, though it was more in the hopes that Luxa would eventually show up. She did not. In the end he had to go get ready for an early morning practice that he had schedule with some of his soldiers. He had so many now that Helix was gone that he usually split them into separate groups. The one that he was meeting with on that day was the section that was probably the least skilled. He usually met with them in the mornings so that he could run over if need be.

He was in his room, changing into his armor, when someone came into his room. He was hoping Luxa and couldn't help but frown when he turned to find who it was.

"Nerissa?" he asked slowly as she stood there in the doorway of his room, having not even waited for him to say it was okay for her to come in. "What's wrong? Do you need something?"

"I came to find you, Overlander," she told him as she leaned heavily against one of his walls. He was quick to rush over to her before leading her to his bed and depositing her on it. "Thank you."

"What is it you need?" he gave her a once over before going back to getting his armor ready. "I was about to go to the arena. Do I need to locate Luxa? I thought that she was with you, but-"

"I did not wish to have Luxa, Gregor. I wished to see you."

"Me," he said slowly, only watching her for a moment. "What did you wish to see me about exactly, Nerissa? Because I'm not too good at dealing with doctors if you want me to talk to them or something. Plus, I'm not really related to you, so I think only Luxa can-"

"It is not medication that I come to you to speak on, Gregor. It is on something that Luxa is no help in, not any longer. She has grown now. She has learned to doubt every thing I say."

He gave her a weary glance. "Luxa and I aren't on the best terms right now. If you're about to get me into trouble with her-"

"I had a vision."

He let out a slight sigh of relief. "A vision, you say?"

"Yes."

"You have those all the time. And I think that Luxa is very understanding of your gift. She believes in it. Why are you not-"

"The last time I saw something such as this, she did not believe me and look what happened."

"Well, we did beat the banished in the end, so-"

"It was not such a fantastical vision such as that one," she told him softly then. "It was more…tame, I suppose."

"What was it you saw, Nerissa? I mean, don't you have visions all the time? Why is this one such a pressing one?"

"It was what I saw, Overlander."

"What did you see then, huh?" He moved to put his sword belt back on, having taken it off to change. "Nerissa?"

"Someone is back, Gregor."

"Back? Please, God, if you're about to go off about Ripred, don't. Really, just don't. Luxa and him are completely and utterly-"

"From the dead, Gregor," she told him, her eyes alive. "Someone who died has come back. Someone very close to us all."

"Who?" he asked, frowning then. "What are you talking about? Who came back from the dead, Nerissa?"

"Well…I do not know," she admitted.

"Then what-"

"I saw you and Luxa. You were both concerned and speaking in hushed tones about someone coming back from the dead. Someone-"

"Nerissa, you do realize that it's impossible to-"

"And would you not say that it was impossible for bats to talk, for rats to grow so large, had you never visited here?"

"While you have me there," he said slowly, "I cannot let you think that people come back from the dead. They just don't. So whatever you saw, or think you saw, is being taken out of context, I assure you."

"Then you do not believe me either."

"I did not say that," he said slowly. "I only meant that-"

"I promise you, Overlander, that it was you and Luxa I saw. You were talking together and Luxa was very upset about whoever it was. And with the Reclaimer now here-"

"The Reclaimer being alive is questionable at best right now," he reminded her. "Luxa isn't sure of anything. Other than you and the other generals, no one knows about it. So let's chill on talking about him, huh?"

"Do you not think that perhaps he is someone else?"

"What do you mean?"

"That it is not someone new like Luxa thinks? What if he is an old enemy? What if it is the Bane? Or Vlad? Or-"

"Calm down. Honestly, Nerissa, I feel as if you are making something of nothing."

"Of course you do, Gregor. You did not see what I did."

He could see it in her eyes then, that she was disappointed in him. In the passing years, Gregor had more or less been the one to look out for Nerissa. It was easy for Luxa to write her off. Sure Luxa loved her, but Luxa was not good with feelings, much less expressing them. She would never let someone hurt Nerissa, but she could just as easily go weeks without seeing her without giving it a second thought. That was just how she was.

"Look, Nerissa, I get it, okay? You saw something that has you scared, but-"

"Not scared, Gregor," she told him as she shifted to lay down on his bed. He had no doubt that she had exerted more energy in finding him than she had in a long time. "I am not afraid of whatever it is. Why should I be? If it is not the Reclaimer, then perhaps it is someone to help us. Perhaps it is my mother or father. Or the King or Queen. Wouldn't that be wonderful if-"

"Nerissa, you are getting ahead of yourself. You said it yourself that Luxa and I were concerned about whoever it was, right? Right?"

"Well, of course you were, Gregor. Even if it was King Lennox, do you not think you would be concerned? About where he came from, how he was revived? That sort of thing?"

Groaning, he said, "Nerissa, it's just not possible. People can't come back from the dead."

"People can't do many things, Overlander, yet they do."

"You really believe in this, don't you?"

"I saw it."

"You see many things that do not-"

"Yes, Gregor, I do. But those might have been things that happened in the past or when I was a child. Seeing you and Luxa, the two of you as you are now, discussing it, well-"

"We could have been talking about many things. We-"

"But you were not," she told him with a firm nod. "You were speaking of the dead being alive. Coming back from death. You were-"

"Nerissa, I will not debate it with you. I do not wish to fight." He sighed as he finished putting on his armor. "I must leave now. Will you be fine here or do I need to find someone to help you back to your room?"

"May I stay here?"

"Uh…" If it was anyone else, any other woman, of course Gregor would have said no. But it was just Nerissa. There was no way that Luxa could fault him for it. "Yeah. I'll be back later, okay?"

She was mostly gone by that point though and only made a noise of agreement. With a sigh, Gregor turned to head out of his room.

Dead coming back to life. Ha. He cared about Nerissa and everything, but sometimes it did not shock him that people thought she was crazy. Seriously?

Zombies?

As if.

* * *

><p>"Zander, no. Put it down."<p>

"He is fine," Matthias told Gregor with a shrug of his shoulders. "He's just playing."

Zander ignored them both as he moved to put the guard's helmet on his head, giggling when it was too big and fell too far down on his head.

They were seated at one of the tables in the mess hall, eating lunch. After training, Gregor had gone to pick Zander up early, as he had no other plans for the day. He figured that the little boy would rather spend time with him than someone else.

"Why don't you just eat, buddy? You normally like that."

Zander hadn't touched his food, which was odd for him. Instead he just sat in Gregor's lap, playing with anything other than the meat and vegetables on his plate. He hadn't even taken the cookie that one of the other soldiers had offered him, instead just handing it off to Matthias, his sharing streak taking over.

"Perhaps he is sick," Matthias said as the boy pushed the helmet up on his head. "Though he does not appear to be."

"He ate breakfast."

"Maybe he ate too much."

"Maybe."

Zander leaned back against Gregor then, giggling slightly when the man poked his in the stomach.

"Where is Luxa then? Maybe she knows what is wrong with him. She feeds him more frequently than you."

Gregor made a face at the suggestion before shaking his head. "I have not seen her today. She was up before me this morning and she did not tell me of her plans."

"Maybe it is secret crown business, ah?" Matthias smiled at Zander who only giggled back at him. "He seems very happy not to be hungry."

"You sure you don't want some, Zander?" Gregor held up a bit of meat on his fork, waving it in front of the boy, but he only turned his head. "He's just not hungry. Poor buddy."

Zander finally fully knocked the helmet off, causing it to clank against the ground. Gregor grimaced at the sound, but Matthias only laughed as another man at the table reached down to pick it up.

"Sorry," Gregor said as Zander just reached over to pat the man in thanks. Gregor gave the helmet back to Matthias though, making sure that Zander could not reach it again.

"He is clearly bored, Gregor," Matthias said then. "Why is him playing a bad thing? He is young. Not to mention, Luxa is not around. You should give him the chance at reprieve."

He only sighed. "It's just that Luxa's been, you know, stressed about him recently or whatever and thinks that I baby him. That I let him get away with a lot."

"You do though."

"I know. I can't help it. I just feel…"

Guilty. He would never say it, but he did. Vlad and Usha were horrible people, really. They did not deserve children. They would have ruined Zander. If Gregor had met Zander a few years later, the boy would have hated Luxa and him. But…that didn't happen. He had Zander now. Zander was his. Fate, destiny, or just pure luck, it didn't matter. Zander was his. He shouldn't feel so badly about it. It was for the best.

…But still. It was just that nagging thought in the back of his head. He had killed Zander's parents. He had. With his own hands. Maybe not Usha, that was more or less Luxa's doing, but he had stabbed her corpse, just to make sure. Just to be certain. And that made him just as guilty. Because that's what he was. That was exactly what he was. He was guilty. He had killed them. Maybe in self-defense, maybe in cold blood. What difference did it make? What freaking difference did it make?

And yeah, Luxa and Gregor had both agreed to never tell Zander, to never mention it. To keep it a secret from him. That it would be best for him. Best for them. But still. What Nerissa said that day, all those months ago, rang true. Zander would find out. Maybe not about them killing Vlad and Usha, but most certainly about who he really was, what his parents thought he truly was. What Gregor and Luxa had to stop from happening at all costs. He would find out. He had to.

And then what?

Would he hate them? Probably. Maybe. It depended on who he heard it from first. It definitely wouldn't be Gregor. He hated to admit it, but he was far too much of a coward to ever tell him that sort of thing. No matter how old he got, or how in the dark he was. It was just something that Gregor hoped to avoid at all costs.

Now Luxa, he could see her telling him when she was angry. She did seem to be having bouts of unexplained frustration at the little things Zander did already. He figured they'd only grow from there. It's not like he ever thought that she was a kid person. She wasn't cuddly or openly loving or even a fun person for the most part. She was very straightforward. Solovet had clearly ruined her in that way.

"There, see? Now he's hungry."

Gregor tuned back in to Matthias then before glancing down at the toddler in his lap. Sure enough Zander had taken to using his hands to scoop up some of the vegetables on Gregor's plate, slinging them back into his mouth with a giggle. Huh.

"Maybe he just wanted to play first," Gregor mumbled, patting the little boy's tummy, who just giggled in response.

"Maybe."

"Are you hungry, Zander?" Gregor asked him which of course just made him smile up at him. "Yes or no?"

"'es." He reached for more food, nodding his head while he was at it. "'es."

After lunch, Matthias had more duty or something. As he was a royal guard, Gregor was hoping that maybe he'd know where Luxa was headed later or at least her rough schedule, but he said that no guard had seen Luxa all day, that she had once again evaded them. She was rather good at that. Since Gregor had stepped down (or was forced down) from head guard, it seemed as if no one was able to keep too good track of Luxa. It was like when she was a girl again. Never seen, never to be found.

Gregor just hoped that he'd be near her if anything broke out.

He ran into Howard when he was leaving the mess hall, though the second the two of them made eye contact, Howard tried to turn the other way. Gregor called out to him though, putting a stop to that.

What was up with him?

"Hello, Overlander," Howard told him rather stiffly as Gregor made his way over. Then he nodded at Zander who only giggled. He apparently wasn't going to pick up Luxa's innate ability to hate any and all relatives that weren't royal other than Hazard. Huh. "Was there something you needed?"

"What? I need something to talk to you these days?" Gregor only grinned at him though Howard couldn't meet his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Howard hesitated very visibly before he spoke. "Nothing with me. And you?"

"Well, nothing really, I guess. Except I haven't been able to find your cousin all day." He grinned then. "Hey, Perdita told me that she thought she was headed to the hospital wing for something. Have you seen her? Mareth thought maybe she was going to visit the sick or something? You know, make herself look better?"

"No," Howard said slowly. "That does not sound like something she would do, though perhaps she should try it some time."

Gregor frowned. "Then you haven't see her?"

"I did not say that."

"Then what are you saying?"

Again with the hesitation. Honestly, Gregor was growing more annoyed than curious.

"I am saying that…" Howard glanced around before seeming to decide on something. "That perhaps I shall take little Zander here now, yes? And take him back to the nursery."

"Why would you do that? Howard-"

"And you," the older man continued as he reached out to take the little boy, who only began to wiggle, never one for being held to begin with. "You should head to the hospital, yes? See if you can find Luxa?"

"Howard, just tell me-"

"I have to hurry. I am only on break for a little while."

"Howard-"

"Just go speak with Luxa, yes? And keep my name out of your mouth."

With that, Howard was gone, taking Zander along with him, the toddler whining the whole way.

What was that all about?

He really had no choice from there, but to go seek Luxa out. He had been avoiding it the entire day, as he figured she was just doing something underhanded like always that eventually he'd have to clean up. In fact, he almost welcomed that, as he figured that maybe it'd help take some of the edge off for her and she'd lighten up with Zander a little bit. The way that Howard made it sound though…

He almost missed her in the hospital. As he had no idea where she would be, he kind of just roamed the halls for a good twenty minutes, feeling foolish, but also knowing better than to ask someone if they knew where she was at. He was about to give up on his search when he spotted her.

"Here you are," he said as he approached her in the hall. She seemed almost shocked to see him, though that was quickly replaced by her normal look of annoyance when he spoke to her out of turn. "What have you been doing all-"

"What are you doing here, Overlander?" she asked, her voice harsh, but not loud. He only came to a stop in front of her, looking rather confused then.

"You were, you know, gone this morning. And then you didn't show up anywhere. And Howard said-"

"What did he say?"

"Nothing, Luxa. God, what is wrong?"

She looked around then, as if someone was following her or watching her or something. He was rather amused by that point, letting out a half laugh as he watched her. She was rather worked up though and he could tell that she had been crying at some point during the day.

"Lux, just tell me," he whispered then as she let out a long sigh.

"Just…come here." She grabbed his arm then before pulling him into an empty room not far from where they were. Closing the curtain behind them, she looked around for a moment before going over to the cot in the room and sitting down. It was then that Gregor realized she wasn't messing around. Something was rally wrong.

"What is it?" he asked. "It's not…zombies, is it?"

"What are you…what are zombie?"

"Like the undead or-"

"No, idiot."

"Oh." That was a major relief. Not like he put any stock in what Nerissa's vision or anything, but still. No zombies meant a better Underland. Period.

"Why would you-"

"Then what's wrong? Is it Nerissa? Or Hazard? Howard? Who? You?" he asked, changing the subject back to where it belonged. It was rather dark in the room, as there was only one torch, and he knew it would not look good if someone found them alone in there. Taking a step towards her, he stared down at her, finally finding a moment to be serious. "Tell me, Lux."

"I'm not…"

He reached out then, when she looked away to cup her cheek and force her to look at him once more. She clearly didn't want to, but consented, just staring at him with dead eyes. He could see the redness in the veins though and, as he had been with her that night, knew that the crying had occurred some time after.

"Just tell me," he whispered. "You're not sick or something, are you? God, Lux, are you dying? Like…cancer or something?"

"I wish," she sighed, looking off.

"What? Luxa-"

"Gregor, I…"

"Just say it. If you're not sick and you're not dying, then what?" He stared into her eyes then and she only stared back at him for a moment before looking off again. "What?"

"I am pregnant."


	4. Chapter 4

The Living Dead

Chapter 4

"You're what?"

"Well, do not make me repeat it."

"Luxa-"

"Shut up, Overlander. Do not-"

"You don't even know what I'm going to-"

"Go! Just go then. Back to the-"

"What are you talking about?" He grabbed her arm when she tried to poke him in the chest. Pregnant. Pregnant. What? His head began to hurt, almost like that time he had a hammer smashed against it.

Luxa was leaning against him then, her head against his chest, though she wasn't crying or speaking. Just laying there. And he was just standing there, processing what she had said.

Pregnant?

"This ruins everything," she finally told him softly after he stood there for a good three or four minutes.

He wanted to tell her that it would be okay. That it didn't ruin everything. That'd it all work itself out, but he couldn't bring himself to. He would only be lying, after all, and Luxa always saw right through him when he lied.

"Are you sure?" he finally asked. How did they even figure that sort of stuff out down in the Underland? He knew how they would back home, but it had to be completely different in Regalia. Right?

Still, Luxa only nodded slightly against his chest and he took her at her word, not sure how to ask exactly what she was attributing her knowledge to. If she was saying she knew, then she knew.

…And if she knew, then others knew. Howard at least. And she had been at the hospital for some time. Someone else more than likely knew. And rumors only spread twice as fast when they're about someone in power.

"How long have you known?"

"Gregor-"

"I mean I know you must have just really known today, but-"

"I…suspected for-"

"And you couldn't have mentioned it to me? Seriously, Luxa, that's-"

"Gregor, do not-"

"I'm just…" He took a step back from her then, but she just kept her head down, not looking up at him. "This is just…shit, Luxa. This is really, really-"

"Oh, yes, Overlander, because I am just enjoying this to no end," she remarked, glaring up at him then. "What do you wish for me to do about it then? You are the one that came here, meddling. You and stupid…Howard. I did not call for you here. I was not going to tell you this way."

"Then what were you going to do? Huh? Since you've just had to _so _much time to think about it. What-"

"Do not-"

"Don't what, Luxa? Huh?"

She was looking at him then, glaring almost. That was the problem before he showed up. She could not properly place the blame on anyone other than herself. Now he was there though and offered up a perfect victim.

"Why did you even come here, Overlander? Leave. I do not wish for you to-"

"Not now, Luxa. Seriously, not now," he said, turning from her then to collect his thoughts.

It was not completely out of the realm of possibilities that she was pregnant. In fact, it was actually quite likely. When he went above, Gregor would usually bring a few condoms down with him if he could, but of course those were usually gone quickly. Not to mention they mortified Luxa to no end as well as mystified her. And with birth control being a prescription thing, that was completely dead as an option. And most of the Underland seemed to follow to the whole 'pull out' method, which was quite useful…until it wasn't. And when it wasn't, it just flat out wasn't.

"Now what?" he finally whispered before glancing back at Luxa. She was standing again then and only shook her head at him.

"Now? Now I have to get to the war room and-"

"Luxa-"

"No, Gregor. I have spent most of the day on this. I have more pressing matters than-"

"Oh, really, you do?"

"I do."

It was his turn to shake his head, though it was more in annoyance than anything else.

"Are you sure that's what your kingdom will think when-"

"Do not tell me what-"

"Go then, Luxa. Whatever. I need to…I need to get away from you."

She paused at that before walking around him. "Good. I never asked for you to be here in the first place."

She was about to the curtain when he finally reached out and grabbed her, pulling her back to him. He just held her too, even when she fought him, wrapping one arm around her neck, holding her closely.

"Let go. You idiot. What are you-"

He just kissed the top of her head before letting her go. She turned to glare at him, but he only stared at her then.

"I'll go with you," he said then, slowly. "I'll-"

"Do not. I do not wish to-"

"I'm going with you," he told her then, rather harshly. "So just get the fuck over it."

She wanted to fight him on it, he could tell, but it would not look good, should the two of them be found arguing in an otherwise empty hospital room. Instead of saying anything however, she just turned and walked away, apparently expecting him to follow. He did of course, but he really had no other option.

They walked away from each other, him almost behind her, like the old days. Not the old, old days, when they were kids, but the newer old days, when he was her guard and couldn't be seen fraternizing with her, like he was a freaking prisoner of war or something.

When they got to the tactics room, Perdita was still in there, going over old scrolls or something. She rose from Luxa's seat when they entered, staring in shock at them as if they had caught her doing wrong or something.

She was really by the book, after all.

"Luxa. I have been awaiting you," Perdita said then before nodding at the scrolls that sat on the far edge of the table. "These were delivered in your absence. I would have had them taken to you, but I thought you were busy since you did not-"

"I shall look at them," she said with a sigh as she went to go pick on up. "Have you?"

"N-No, of course not."

"Why of course not?"

"Well, since you said that you were keeping these from me," she said, nodding to the pile she was then going over. "I thought that perhaps you were planning to keep those from me as well."

That annoyed Luxa, as she no doubt felt Perdita was being accusatory, but the woman looked nothing but. She was just being honest.

"We shall go over them together," Luxa finally said before glancing at Gregor. "Alone."

"Huh?"

"You are merely a general. I wish to meet with my head of the military. Go-"

"Luxa-"

"Go, Gregor. This has nothing to do with you."

He stared hard at her for a moment before turning to walk off. It was fine. He had wanted to be alone anyways. He needed to think.

"Well, I take it you know by now."

Gregor frowned as when he returned to his room, he found Howard there instead of Nerissa. His first response was worry over where the woman had wandered off to. Then it was replaced by annoyance with the older man in front of him.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Gregor grumbled as he came further into the room. "Where's Zander?"

"Nursery." Howard was standing in the middle of the tiny room, arms crossed, as he attempted to stare Gregor down. The other man was having none of it, however.

"Look, Howard, I am having a shit day, so just-"

"What are you going to do, Overlander?"

"With you? Nothing if you leave now."

"What," Howard began again, "are you going to do, Overlander?"

"What do you want me to say, Howard? God, you're not even-"

"Do you know what you've done, Gregor? To her reign? You've completely tarnished-"

"Me? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot the part where I fucking held her down and raped her. Just slipped my fucking mind that she wasn't a consenting adult in all of this. That she had no idea that-"

"Do not speak of my cousin-"

"I'll speak about Luxa however the hell I want! You better watch how you talk to me, if anything."

Howard looked about ready to hit him then and Gregor only sighed, shaking his head before turning to walk away slightly. There wasn't a lot of room for it in the room though.

"Look, Howard, this is still kind of new to me too, so why don't you-"

"Do you know what's going to happen now, Gregor? Do you?"

Well…no. Not really. He only looked at Howard though, who of course continued speaking after a moment.

"She's going to have to, well…"

"They can't take her crown away from her because of this, so why does it matter?"

"Why does it matter? You cannot honestly-"

"Yes, Howard, I know why it matters to _us_. But to them, who cares? Luxa says that kings do this all the time. It's not that big of a-"

"It is a very big deal, Overlander," Howard hissed at him then before turning his back to him and letting out a long sigh. "We should have gotten rid of you when we had the chance."

Well that was unbelievably rude. Gregor only frowned before shaking his head and looking off.

"I really just want to be alone right now. You can defend your cousin's honor or whatever later, alright? Because I am not in the mood right now and am liable just to go off back at you."

Howard left after another glaring match, but it really didn't matter much to Gregor. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he really should have gone to get Zander or check on Nerissa, but really in that moment, all he wanted to do was sleep.

So that's what he did.

* * *

><p>He woke with a start. It was late, very late, he knew. He must have slept right through dinner, given the darkness outside his partitioned doorway. There were hardly any torches or people out in the halls of the palace, which meant it was probably well into the time that most people should be sleeping.<p>

Great. With a groan, he pushed himself up before slowly looking around. The day was coming back to him slowly as he tried to remember why he was asleep at such an hour to begin with.

When everything was finally fresh in his mind again, he headed out of his room, going instead to the war room. It was late, fine, but he figured Luxa might be there. And it was closer than the royal wing, really, so it was easier to try there first.

No one was there. Huh. Luxa must have been tired then. Normally when she was stressed, she'd immerse herself in work to avoid whatever was bothering her. Though he figured they couldn't really avoid the particular thing that time.

No one stopped him from going into the royal wing, though no one could have anyhow. It was only one guard and though he regarded Gregor with suspicion, he said nothing to him. Gregor spent so much time there openly then that there was no reason to even fight him on it.

He heard him before he saw him. His little singing that he did. When he got to the sitting room, he found him there, Zander, pushing around some of those toy cars that Grace had given him around the room.

"You're supposed to be in bed, I'm sure, buddy."

Zander looked up at his voice, waving, before going back to his playing. Luxa was there of course, sleeping on the couch in a rather uncomfortable position. She must have fallen asleep while waiting for Zander to tire himself out for the night. Sighing, Gregor went over to her first.

"Lux?" He shook her shoulder gently, causing her to peek her eyes open. "Luxa?"

"Mmmm." She only stared sleepily up at him for a moment before closing her eyes. "Is it late?"

"Very." He only stared down at her, all of his anger melting from early in the day. Zander was still singing rather loudly behind them, though randomly he would stop to yawn. "Way too late for him. I'm going to go put him down, okay?"

"Wait." She moved to sit up then before looking over to him. "Zander, do you wish to sleep with me or alone?"

He glanced up at her before saying, "No. 'es. Lucka."

"What?"

"He's just talking," Gregor sighed before shaking his head. "He needs to learn to sleep alone, Luxa. And I thought we could talk."

"He has been having bad dreams recently," Luxa reminded Gregor. He knew though that she just didn't want to be alone with him. "Zander, come here. Now."

The little boy rushed over then, holding out his arms as he yawned loudly. Luxa lifted him up as she stood before going to pick up his discarded tiger from the floor and head out of the room, no doubt going to her own bedroom.

"I'm coming too," Gregor warned her as he followed behind. "Luxa, we need to-"

"Are you tired, Zander?" She bounced the boy in her arms, who only yawned in response. "You should have woken me. I would have put you to bed."

Rolling his eyes, Gregor just headed into her bedchamber with her, where she immediately set out on getting Zander ready for bed. He was mostly potty trained at that point, but it was still a good idea to change him before bed, just in case. Not to mention he liked to sleep with his shirt off, as he got over heated otherwise and would cry.

"Lucka, Lucka," Zander giggled as she laid him down on the bed, finally prepared for bed. Then he patted his tummy, waiting for her to blow a raspberry on it before he fell over with giggles again. That was probably about as loving as Luxa was going to ever get with him.

Gregor just got into bed with a sigh, laying on his back while he listened to Luxa prepare for bed herself. Zander was slowly settling down, though it took a lot of yawning and a lot of giggling.

When Luxa finally laid down, she only gave Zander his stuffed tiger, which he of course took to chewing on. Honestly, Gregor was afraid of what would happen when the thing finally broke apart and they had to get rid of it. He'd probably just have his mother send another one down from the Over-

Oh, God, his mother. He was going to have to tell his mother. And she was going to flip out on him. Oh, God.

"Lucka." Zander snuggled up to her, patting her gently before curling up and closing his eyes. "Lucka."

She only laid on her side, gently stroking the back of his head while staring at Gregor. He just kept watching the ceiling silently, not sure what to say.

"Well," he finally began. "I think that the first thing either of should do is apologize. We both acted very immature about-"

"Gregor," she cut him off. "Shut up."

It sounded just as cute as it always did, when she used Overland words. He didn't smile though, instead only turning his head slightly to stare at her. Zander was still awake, so he kept his tone even and voice soft as not to rile him up.

"What are we going to do? Huh? What-"

"Gregor, I do not know. We have to…"

"To what, Lux?"

She only leaned down to bury her head in the top of Zander's. He giggled, thinking that she was snuggling with him or something.

"Are we going to…marry? Is that it? That's what you wanted to do before. And if that's what you want to still do then I-"

"I do not wish to talk about-"

"Luxa, we have to talk about it. Alright? I mean, if we're not going to marry, then what are you going to do? Huh? Are you just going to…have the baby? I mean, people are going to talk. But if we marry, then maybe-"

"Gregor, enough."

"Luxa-"

"We will talk tomorrow. Just let me rest. Let me think. Please."

He let out a long sigh then, looking back up at the ceiling. "Alright."

* * *

><p>They had an early morning meeting the next day, as Perdita would be leaving early the next morning. The meeting that morning was to discuss things as they stood in that moment so Perdita was certain of her goal in the mission. Then she would spend the rest of the day preparing. Basically it was a goodbye for if she didn't come back.<p>

Zander had to come along, but he was relatively sleepy when Gregor and Luxa showed up and hardly even waved at Perdita and Mareth, who were already in the room, awaiting them.

They knew. That was the first thing Gregor realized when he saw both of their faces. Luxa must have told Perdita and she must have told Mareth. It was so obvious. Mareth was standing in his normal spot, but his stance was not welcoming. Instead his arms were crossed over his chest with a disapproving look clouding his features. He looked like a disappointed father.

Perdita, for her part, looked more embarrassed for the two of them than anything else. As if she pitied them. And she no doubt did. She seemed scandalized just by the thought of what they were going to have to go through.

"Where is Barrett?" was the first thing Luxa asked as she went to drop Zander off in one of the chairs. He immediately cuddled up with his tiger and began to go back to sleep. "I said to be here at-"

"He did not show up," Mareth said with a shrug of his shoulders, though he kept his eyes on Gregor. And for some reason, Gregor did feel shamed. He really, really did. It wasn't like with Howard. He almost saw Howard as a brother, a friend. Mareth though, he had always looked up to Mareth, even when he was young. And deep down, he knew that Luxa had as well. They had disappointed him and the thought alone was almost too much to bear.

"I believe that he is, well, upset," Perdita said slowly, blushing right after. "When you told him, Luxa, he-"

"Then let us begin without him," she said, undeterred. Gregor only went to stand off by himself, trying hard to avoid Mareth's gaze. "I have reviewed the men that you-"

"Are we not going to mention, then, the most pressing matter of the hour? I think that perhaps-"

"No, Mareth, we are not," Luxa said simply, not looking at him. "We are going to go over-"

"You could not even tell me yourselves then? Luxa? Gregor? Instead you had Perdita-"

"I had her tell you because I did not find it important to tell you," Luxa told him with a frown, finally looking over at him. "And if you speak out of turn again-"

"But you felt the need to tell Barrett? And Perdita? Sure, Luxa. Are you for certain that it is more that you were afraid of what I would say to you?"

"No," she told him, glaring now. "I care not what you think of me, Mareth, much less of my personal life. Last I checked, yours is not-"

"I am not a queen, Luxa!" His anger was bubbling up then and it was obvious that he had been holding those thoughts in for awhile. "I do not have a reputation to present. I do not have a crown to honor. I-"

"I suggest that you remember your place, Mareth, before-"

"Let us all acknowledge that this is not going to a be a…pleasurable situation for any of us," Perdita intervened. "But that does not mean-"

"Oh, it was a very pleasurable situation for some of us."

"Mareth." Perdita was blushing so heavily then that Gregor almost felt bad for her. In fact, he would have, had he had any ounce of feeling left other than embarrassment at the moment. "Enough."

Luxa was looking to Gregor to say something then and he knew that he should have, but he could not. What was there to say? And even if he did have something to say, how could he say it to Mareth? Mareth? Freaking Mareth? The guy that forgave him for not only putting his life in jeopardy, but also basically causing him to lose his leg? If the guy wanted to be a little peeved at them for completely sullying Luxa's reputation to the fullest finally, who was he to get ticked? Honestly? It was what Luxa's parents or Gregor's would be telling them, if they were around. It was what Solovet would have done, what Vikus probably would have at least thought. What Susannah and York would have-

Oh shit. Susannah and York were going to find out.

"As important as we all know this situation is," Perdita began again, speaking over them all. "I think now is the more the time to focus on my trip, yes? The Reclaimer is more of a threat than an unborn child, Mareth."

"To you? Yes, it is," he said, nodding his head slightly. "But I have already voiced my displeasure of you going along with the men you have chosen. You are choosing to be stubborn and that will be on your hands should something not turn out as it should. This though, what they are doing to their lives-"

"Is already done," Luxa said then, boring holes into him in that moment. "You speaking out against it is doing nothing, but cost us all time. Perdita leaves on the morrow. It is her that we shall focus on now. If you cannot handle that, Mareth, then you can gladly go back to bed and sleep the day off."

He took to sulking then, not saying anything else. Perdita took over then rather quickly, clearly wanting to get the subject off what it had been on. Gregor didn't pay much attention, as he truly had little to add. Only Luxa and Perdita seemed to be talking, though Mareth did randomly chime in, albeit begrudgingly, with some sort of comment or other about the Reclaimer or about the area in which Perdita would be venturing.

Zander awoke towards the end of the meeting, whining while chewing on his tiger. He was probably hungry. That was about the same time that Barrett came into the room, looking rather ragged and overly tired. Perdita was in the middle of speaking as he came in, but stopped abruptly at the sight of him.

"Late night?" Mareth remarked, turning his glare onto the other male.

Ignoring him, Barrett just looked to Luxa and bowed to her slightly. Then in a gravelly voice, he said, "I apologize deeply, my Queen, for-"

"Rise. And do not speak to me currently. You have proven yourself once again below average. Stand there silently and allow my meeting to come to a close."

He righted himself before taking his place standing at the table. Zander looked up at him and waved, but Barrett had focused his eyes on some point on the wall, glaring heavily at it, the veins in his eyes red and raging. He had clearly spent the night drunk.

When Luxa finally ended the meeting, it was with instructions to Perdita to stay safe and come back alive. Then Perdita quickly headed out of the room, to go finalize her route and practice with her men. Mareth went with her, though he did not walk next to her. It was obvious that he was going to go have a few words with her. Gregor had a sinking feeling that they were about he and Luxa.

Luxa told Barrett a place then, ordering him to go wait for her there. Once he was out of the room, she just came over to Gregor, lifting Zander into her arms when she passed him.

"Take him to eat and then to the nursery," she said with a sigh as she dumped the boy into his arms after that. "Howard wishes to speak with me again today so that we can… It will be in two hours. I will meet you in the sitting room and then we shall go to the hospital from there, yes?"

Gregor only nodded slightly as Zander snuggled into his arms. Or was he wiggling?

"Alright."

"I will go speak with Barrett then."

"Luxa…"

She just touched his arm though. "I have to talk to him, alright? I'll see you later, yes?"

He only nodded slightly before heading off as well, Zander in his arms. The little boy really was wiggling then and Gregor finally just dropped him on the ground, making the little boy follow along behind him.

"Life really sucks some times, don't it, Zander?"

"'es!"

Gregor only sighed, shaking his head. When the boy was right, he was right.

* * *

><p>"It is not as if we are completely option less in this," Howard was saying while Luxa mostly focused on staring at some spot on the wall behind him. Gregor was listening though, as not to seem rude. "Obviously."<p>

"Obviously," Luxa mimicked.

"Obviously? What's obvious? What are you guys talking about?"

"Well, Gregor, with the right amount of control and limited contact, Luxa's pregnancy can go rightfully unnoticed. It would take a lot of management and complete trust of those closest to you, Luxa, but-"

"But what happens when she has the baby?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"With so many Halflander banished running around, I'm sure we could pay someone off to keep quiet and take the child," Howard said with a shrug.

What? Frowning, Gregor looked to Luxa, but she was still staring at the wall.

"Or," she finally said. "You could take the child with you, Gregor."

"With me where?"

"To the Overland," Howard finished, reading her thought.

"But-"

"And then you would never come back," she finished before glancing at him. "Is that what you want?"

"Why are you throwing this back on me? What did I do to you?"

"I'm not saying that you did anything to me," she said, crossing her arms. "I am only saying what you are thinking."

"I'm thinking of leaving you? Oh, that's totally right, Luxa. You got me." Rolling his eyes, he looked off himself then. "Next option Howard, because that's bullshit. Both of them."

"Well," he began again slowly. "Of course you and Luxa could just marry. If you did it quickly, if Luxa carries the child to full term, we will be able to claim that it is premature. No one will question it. Not openly at least."

"But we can't marry," Gregor said slowly before glancing at Luxa. "Hasn't that been what the fight's been about this entire time?"

Luxa finally glanced at him then, though she just as quickly lifted her head and stared off again. "Or…or I could not marry the Overlander and have the child anyways."

"And completely ruin your reputation."

"_Fuck _my reputation. Fuck everyone else."

Gregor groaned. Again with that trying to sound like him thing.

"I am the Queen. Kings have bastards quite frequently. I am allowed one of my own." Luxa shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I will have my child and anyone that wishes to say anything to me on it, it shall be the last thing they say. No man is any better than I. If I-"

"Luxa, just say that we're getting married so that we can get on with life," Gregor finally cut her off. She sent him a dirty look before shaking her head.

"Who says that it is your child anyways? I-"

"Do not play me today, alright? I'm not in the mood."

Howard sighed as well then before closing his eyes. When he opened them, his expression was dead and his tone was without emotion.

"There is always the last option."

"What would that be?" Gregor asked. He was nearly certain that they had covered them all. Give up their kid, which they both knew wasn't happening, or have it and get married quickly or don't. He really didn't know what was left.

"It is very messy, of course, but it is possible to induce…a miscarriage," Howard said slowly. "Abort it. You know this, Luxa. We could-"

"That is outlawed," she told him with a frown. "You know as well as I."

"And this is a desperate time," he told her in a hushed whisper. "You think that I wish to have the blood of a child on my hand? But this is the future of your reign we are talking about. I-"

"When your mother hears that you even suggested such a thing-"

"When she hears that you have gotten yourself get into such a mess-"

"We're not killing our baby." Gregor swallowed then, his mouth dry. He had never thought of it as that, but that's what it was. His baby. Luxa's baby. Their baby. "So you can just stop yourself right there, Howard."

Luxa rolled her eyes then, shifting her feet. "The two of you are boring me now. It has been decided then, yes? That I shall not marry him and-"

"The two of you are very much so getting married, Luxa, and you know it."

"It is completely sexist and-"

"I do not care," Howard said, frowning deeply. "Let another fight that battle. You-"

"Our grandmother would be most disappointed in you, Howard."

"And not you?"

"Me?" Luxa shook her head. "I have successfully led Regalia through many battles and am attempting to lead the women into a new age of-"

"Luxa, save it. She would have destroyed your relationship with him long ago. Your mother as well. And your father would have never let it begin. So do not play Solovet back on me, because I can play every single one of our relatives back on you." Then Howard paused. "Except maybe Vikus. He might have found this to be some sort of a good thing, a coming together of Under and Over. But nearly every other would have shamed you for this."

"Do not speak to me any longer." Luxa turned to walk away then. "I am off to count the days until I can drink again. I do not wish to see either of you for the rest of the day."

It was not till she was gone that Howard and Gregor both stared at each other. And Howard only sighed, shaking his head slightly. It was Gregor that spoke.

"How exactly do you guys…do abortions?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Like…drop stones on the woman's stomach? Because I saw that once on a television show and-"

Howard frowned deeply before cutting him off by saying, "What century do you think we live in, Overlander? The Stone Age?"

Well…

"No, but… And hey, how exactly do you guys figure out pregnancy? Just because someone doesn't have their, you know, period or-"

Howard only sighed before turning to leave he room. "I have duties, Overlander, if that is all."

Gregor only kicked at the ground before following him out. "I guess so."


	5. Chapter 5

The Living Dead

Chapter 5

"It is rather shocking to me, now that I think of it," Gregor said as they walked down the streets of Regalia. "That I have never been to where Perdita lives."

"Well, you two have more of a work relationship than a friendship," Mareth said with a slight shrug.

"Still, you'd think that I'd at least know where she lives."

Mareth took a breath then before slowly saying, "She does not invite many people to her home."

"Oh," Gregor said slowly. "Well, she is a very private person, after all."

"Very much so."

"I mean-"

"I do not wish to talk of Perdita currently, Gregor."

"Oh."

"I think that we both know what we should be speaking of."

"Yeah, but-"

"Gregor, this…complication of yours just got far more complex. You do understand this, yes?"

"I'm not a kid, Mareth. Yeah, I get it. We're adults. Sometimes mistakes happen. It's not-"

"Maybe in the Overland, but not here. Not with a…" Mareth looked around, but the streets were empty. "_Queen._ It was bad, when the two of you began…complicating one another's lives, but now? Now?"

"Mareth, can we not-"

"Fine, Gregor," he conceded. "We will leave it as it is for now. But do not think that we are done here."

It was about six hours before Perdita and her men were to leave that morning. About forty minutes previous, Luxa had been awoken by a messenger who came bearing some sort of a message from a scout in the Dead Lands. Something that had to do with the Reclaimer no doubt. She had woken Gregor, who was sleeping in his own room that night, immediately after and told him to gather up the other generals.

He started with Barrett and Mareth, as they both lived in the palace. But when he went to get Perdita, he found out that she did not. Mareth readily opted to go with him to get her. Gregor knew, of course, that that would mean talking about his and Luxa's current predicament, but he also knew that he had to face the music eventually.

Now they were walking down the streets at the dead of night, after Andromeda dropped them outside of the palace. The further they walked though, the more Gregor wished that she had dropped them closer.

"Why does Perdita not live in palace?"

Mareth shook his head. "Not all enjoy living in the palace. It is not feasible for all either."

Feasible?

"I just thought it'd be nicer," Gregor said then. "I mean, most places outside of the palace are not as-"

"I told you, Gregor, that it is not feasible or possible for all."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I-"

"Oy! The warrior and a general out for a stroll so late?"

Both Gregor and Mareth turned, the latter raising his hand in acknowledgement to the man who was speaking to him. He was leaning up against a building, what looked like a fruit shop, grinning at them. Gregor did not know him, as he rarely knew anyone outside of those who worked in the palace or were soldiers, but Mareth seemed to.

"You come looking for women then, ah?"

"No," Mareth told him, almost blushing as he glanced at Gregor. "I am merely headed somewhere."

"If you are certain."

Gregor was staring hard at Mareth for the next few feet, though Mareth wouldn't look at him.

"So. You partake in-"

"I do not buy…whores or anything like that. I have a fine time getting my own women. But yes, Gregor, occasionally I do find myself depressed over the current state of affairs and need…company. It is really none of your-"

"And neither is my…complication."

Mareth only sighed then. "I have known you since you were a boy, Gregor. Luxa even longer. It just…troubles me to see her fall this way."

"Why does this have to be a bad thing?"

Mareth only frowned causing Gregor to shake his head.

"No, I know why it's a bad thing, but if we don't…you know, get married, then the child has no claim to the throne and everyone's happy, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"If Luxa's father, Lennox, right? If Lennox had a bastard that was older than Luxa, it wouldn't have had a chance to get the throne. It would still be Luxa's."

"Yes. That is correct."

"Why would it be different if Luxa has a child out of wedlock? I mean, yeah, I get it, it's indecent or whatever and you guys are all so old-fashioned or whatever. You know, until you guys wanna fuck somebody and then it's okay-"

"Overlander-"

"My point is that our…kid wouldn't be able to ascend the throne if we don't marry. So fine, Luxa looks bad, but they can't be too mad. That's the reason they didn't want me to become king, really, right? To avoid smearing the line of ascendants with more Overlanders, right? Halflanders? But if that doesn't happen, then everything's fine, right?"

Mareth though for a moment before just shake his head. Instead of answer, he merely said, "We are here."

The building was as many apartments in the Underland were. More or less just stone homes stacked on top of one another, a staircase off to the side leading up to each one. Some were three homes high, but most were only two. It reminded Gregor of those old adobe homes that he would see in school when they studied the past, just with stone instead of mud.

Perdita lived on the base level of the one they were standing in front of. As it was so late, Mareth did not wish to call out and disturb anyone in their own homes scattered about, so he merely pushed aside the curtain partition and went in. Gregor hesitated, as if Mareth had female company, he found it just as likely that Perdita might have someone over, but Mareth seemed so certain. They were friends, after all. He figured Mareth stopped in on her all the time. With a shake of his head, he followed.

The home was small, of course, with a very open layout. The doorway opened immediately into a living room like area that also clearly doubled as a kitchen. There was a single, beat up, couch in the center of the room, which was where Perdita was sleeping. Gregor almost felt wrong, seeing her asleep, but Mareth merely went over to her and gently shook her shoulder as Gregor looked around again.

There was a small alcove off to the side that hardly counted as a room, but was big enough to fit a bed. It reminded him of his 'room' back the apartment in New York that was really more of a closet. On that tiny bed, he could barely see someone sleeping in it, as the torch light was so weak given there was only one torch going in the home so late at night. He would have clicked, but that would only give him an outline. He knew there was someone there, after all.

"Wh- Mareth?"

"Shhh. You are fine. I merely came to get you."

"Get me?" Perdita sat up quickly and Gregor saw that she had fallen asleep in the same clothes she had worn earlier in the day. "For what? Have I overslept? Oh, no, I must-"

"No. Shhh. Take a breath." He patted her on the shoulder then. "Something has happened in the Dead Lands."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Luxa sent the Overlander to get us all," Mareth explained to her softly. "She received word from a scout about the status of the Reclaimer."

"And what was it?" She sounded more clear then, finally waking up.

"I do not-"

"Overlander?" Perdita looked passed Mareth and to Gregor, but he was still in shock to find that the head of the army lived in such a…dump. She lived like a merchant or maybe a farmer. She was the highest paid person in the military and she was living in the city? "What did the message say?"

He had a dumb moment then, he was rather tired himself, where he said the first thing that popped into his mind. "You sleep on a couch?"

She only frowned at him before moving to stand. Mareth sent him a dirty look causing Gregor to shake his head.

"I mean…sorry. Uh…Luxa didn't say," he finally got out. "About the message. She just told me to gather you and the generals."

Perdita took a moment before nodding her head. "Then let us-"

"Perdita?" a voice called from the back of the home then, from that alcove, sounding rather old, if not somewhat afraid. "Who's there? What's wrong?"

She made a visible face of displeasure then before taking a deep breath and saying, "Nothing. I merely-"

"It is I," Mareth spoke up then. "I have come to speak with her, is all."

"Mareth?"

"Aye. There is nothing to worry about."

"I cannot leave with you," Perdita told them both softly then. She was speaking more to Mareth though. "You know that I cannot leave her alone. And there is no one-"

"Perdita? Is it not late? What is wrong?"

"Nothing, Mother," she called over to her. "Mareth is-"

"Can I not come visit now and again?" Mareth moved passed Perdita then, heading to the back of the home. "I am sorry for calling so late. It takes forever for a invalid as myself to get around this city these days."

Perdita looked to Gregor then before shaking her head. "I cannot leave her alone. You must go back to Luxa and tell her that whatever it is, I shall deal with it when-"

"I shall stay," Mareth called softly back over to Perdita as he made it over to the bed, leaning down to hug the woman. "Go."

"Mareth-"

"I am certain if one of us must miss the meeting, Luxa would rather it me than you. Now go."

She paused then before going over to him to say a few things in a hushed tone. Gregor pretended to be interested in other things, but her mother would not let it be.

"Who else is here, Perdita?"

"Mother-"

"It is the Overlander," Mareth told her.

"Overlander?"

"Aye, the warrior," Perdita sighed. "I have told you before, he lives here, in Regalia. Remember? Gregor?"

Her mother only made a slight noise before falling silent again. Perdita said a few more things softly to Mareth before going over to Gregor.

"Let us go then," she sighed. "We had best hurry. I am sure that the Queen is impatient."

It was an awkward walk back to the palace, as neither of them had a bond. Gregor knew that Perdita's had died some years ago in some battle or something and she had never found another. He knew this mainly because Luxa complained frequently of it, that the army head had to enlist the help of friendly fliers to get around. Mareth usually got her off Perdita's back by mentioning the fact that if Aurora lost her light, she would not easily replace her. The thought alone was enough to cause Luxa hesitance.

"If we spot her, Andromeda will take us back to the palace," Perdita told him with a sigh as they walked along. "Either that or it shall be a long ride up."

"Hopefully Nike or Aurora or Dionysus or someone will see us," Gregor sighed.

"I have not seen any of them in a number of days."

"I saw Nike recently and Aurora, but I think Dionysus is staying more in the Fount now. And Aurora's probably asleep. No, our only hope is probably Nike."

Perdita merely shook her head. "Andromeda will be looking out for Mareth and stop. She is most helpful in that way."

They walked in silence for some time then. Gregor and Perdita rarely spent any time alone together and though she always was most kind to him and expressed her gratitude to him many times in the past, they were far from friends. She respected him highly for his skill in battle, but at times still saw him as a petulant child. Especially when he was around Luxa. He figured she was about Mareth's age, which was more or less fifteen or so years older than him, which really did make him a child to her for a good number of years. Not to mention she did see him fighting with Luxa quite frequently, which didn't help anything.

Still, he respected her greatly. She was very driven with her work and that was something to be admired. Not to mention, she normally managed Luxa and her meltdowns with ease. Though she was not someone he wished hangout with after work, she had still given him a chance to be a general and that meant something. That meant a lot.

Now though, he had seen a completely different side of her. He never considered her life outside of work. He knew that sometimes she would go to the mess hall with Barrett or Mareth, but that was mostly to comment on their immaturity and watch them get drunk or pickup women. He always just kind of assumed that she didn't exist outside of that, in that childish way that children assume their teachers only live to put up with their bull all day from 8:00-4:00 and don't live outside of that. This new perspective was something that he never really thought about and he knew for certain that she had not wished for him to find out about, less she would have mentioned it at some point.

He felt it his obligation then to at least broach overcoming their awkwardness in that moment, as he felt as if he had caused it. He could have just sent Mareth to get Perdita, but he had gone along to avoid spending time with Barrett. It was his fault that he now knew what he did and that meant it was his job to break the silence over it.

"So your mother lives with you?"

Perdita glanced at him then before nodding her head slightly. "Yes. She does."

Well, that didn't help anything. She was going to make it harder than necessary.

"I did not know that you did not live in the palace."

She glanced at him. "My mother cannot get around well. It is easier for her not to be in the palace, where there always seems to be some sort of problem. Stress is not good for her. And it is high stress there constantly."

"Oh." He paused again. "But you cannot…afford somewhere nicer?"

She blushed then before glancing at him. "My mother needs someone to stay with her during the day and evening, while I work. And when I am leaving now for a few days, she needs someone there the entire time. That takes up most of my-"

"I'm sorry for asking," he said then, looking off. God, he was coming off as nosey, not interested. "I was only trying to-"

"She is very sick. Her mind is very much gone. And my father has been dead for a number of years now. If I did not take care of her, she would surely die." She glanced at him. "You would do the same for your own mother, yes?"

Swallowing, he only nodded slightly, which must have pleased her, as she just looked ahead again, walking along silently next to him once more.

It turned out to be Andromeda who picked them up and took them back to the palace. Perdita explained to her the situation and she promised to take her back home right after the meeting.

When they got into the war room, Luxa was already there, pacing the room with Zander in her arms, who was still sleeping peacefully. Barrett was there as well, though he only stood off to the side, arms folded, not even looking up when they came in.

"Where is Mareth then?" Luxa snapped at Gregor who only gave her a look back, not appreciating the tone. "Overlander?"

"He had to stay behind and look after my mother," Perdita spoke up quickly. "It was either him or me. I had no one else to-"

"Fine." Luxa shook her head at that before halting her pacing. Zander was snoring softly and Gregor was glad for that, as Luxa did not have his little tiger anywhere in the room. They needed to keep him asleep as long as possible. "Let us begin."

She quickly passed Zander off to Gregor, who only went to go take his place standing by the table. Then Luxa went over to the table herself, though she only picked up a scroll from it before looking to Perdita.

"The Reclaimer has fled."

Even Barrett looked up at that. Perdita was the first to speak.

"Wh-What?"

"Read it yourself. The Reclaimer has left. He and another gnawer must have gotten into a fight or something. The rats cannot locate him. The scouts still have not gotten a glimpse at him. The gnawers that are gathered in that cavern are scattering. Sending you out would be a waste. I-"

"What? No." Perdita shook her head. "I should still go. I should-"

"Do not cut me off," Luxa warned her. "And what good would it do to send you? If the Reclaimer has disappeared? You are not a general or a soldier. You are the head of the army. You should not go searching for someone. You were going to go to get a good look at the Reclaimer and report back to me. Sending you out to go play scout is not advisable."

"Solovet would have-"

"You are not Solovet. And be thankful. Solovet is very much dead and you are very much alive." Luxa shook her head. "Barrett, do you still wish to leave the capital for a few days?"

"Most certainly," he said without hesitation. Then he glanced at Gregor. "Today, if you wish."

"Then you shall take the men that Perdita was going to take out and go look into what exactly is going on."

"Wait," Perdita started up again. "I can go, Luxa. I wish to go. Why would you send him? What good would he be?"

"I would be very good. Send me, L-"

"Step down, Barrett," Perdita hissed at him. "I am your commanding officer and you shall not defy me."

He snorted then. "See what I tell you, Luxa? Since her and her precious Mareth have declared me an enemy they are most horrible to me. They-"

"Enough." Luxa looked away from them both for a moment before landing her gaze on Gregor. He only stared back for a second before smiling.

"I get to go?" he asked, excited by the idea of getting out Regalia. He needed a few days to himself, honestly. And while he was in the Dead Lands, he would have poked around to find Ripred as well. It would be-

"Of course not."

"What do you mean of course not? I'm a general too."

"Yes, she will send the father of her child off to fight the Reclaimer." Barrett snorted, shaking his head. "With all that is going on, I above all deserve to get out of Regalia."

"You are about to be out of a job if you continue to try and undermine me," Perdita threatened, shaking her head at him.

"Go ahead. Luxa will reinstate me."

"Luxa would do no such thing."

"Luxa most certainly-"

"Luxa is about to get very mad at the fact you are all going to awake her sleeping child." Luxa was watching Zander then, to be sure that he did not stir. For a moment, they all held their breaths, but he did not make a sound. Sighing, Luxa shook her head.

"Perdita," she finally said. "If you wish to still go, you shall go. It is your place to decide, really. Do not be foolish though. It would be a shame, should you die doing something that you have no business doing in the first place."

Perdita nodded her head while Barrett only let out an annoyed grunt, looking off once more. Luxa narrowed her eyes at him before speaking.

"If you have something to say, Barrett, then say it. If not, then stop acting as if you are a toddler. I have enough going on in my life. I do not wish to add a disruptive general to that list."

Barrett only shook his head slightly, though he would not look at any of them. Gregor only sighed, shifting the sleeping boy in his arms.

"What else does the message say?" Gregor asked. "I feel as if we have gotten off base. What all did it tell you, Luxa?"

She shook her head, looking back at him then. "Not much. Merely that most of the gnawers have left that area as well, apparently to look for the Reclaimer. Or perhaps they even followed him. My scouts are not psychic after all. They merely give me the information that they see and what they hear. Codes and such. And they are all certain that the Reclaimer has fled his position."

"The Dead Lands are vast," Gregor sighed. "There's not telling where-"

"I shall find him," Perdita told them then, nodding her head slightly. "If he really is there, is alive, then I shall find him."

"You sound certain," Luxa remarked.

Perdita only nodded. "Of course I am. After all, what other option do we have?"

* * *

><p>It was still rather early when the meeting was concluded, so Gregor just headed back to the royal wing with Luxa, Zander in his arms. They dropped the boy off in his own bedroom for once, making sure to get him his tiger before heading off to Luxa's bedchamber.<p>

Gregor popped his shoulders as Luxa moved to get into bed, causing her to frown at him. He just shrugged though before pulling his shirt off. His back was tight. How was that his fault?

"I'm going to make you eat when we get up," he grumbled to her once he settled into bed with her. "You know that."

"Gregor-"

"You have to eat, Luxa. It was one thing when it was you, but now you have to think about…you know, the baby too." Then he glanced over at her. "Unless…is that your plan then?"

"Is what my plan?"

"To starve the baby?" He frowned at her. "Luxa-"

"Of course not, idiot." She gave him a look. "It is hard to eat, Gregor. Especially dinner. When I know that it shall only come back up."

"Like morning sickness? I didn't know that you were vomiting."

"It is horrible."

"You could have told me."

"Breakfast comes up at times as well. That is why I-"

"You just… Why don't you tell me anything?"

"Do not get upset, Overlander. You-"

"I mean, seriously, Luxa? And how far along are you anyways?"

"I think nearly three months."

He frowned, shaking his head at her. "You're really something, you know that?"

When she didn't say anything, he only shifted on the bed, laying on his stomach with his head next to her. Luxa turned onto her side, stroking the back of his head gently. That's how they laid for awhile, until he spoke again.

"What are we going to do, Luxa? Are we on the same page?"

"Yes."

"Good." He let out a slow breath. "When do you wish to get married then?"

That made her thump the back of his head. "We are not marrying."

"Luxa-"

"We are not."

He paused. "So then our kid couldn't ascend the throne."

"What talking about?"

"It'll be a bastard. So no royal-"

"No," she said clicking her tongue though he could tell she was thinking hard then. "That's not…No. That's not fair. I-"

"It's the truth."

That made her stop and think. Slowly, she began saying, "Then…perhaps we should."

"Should what?"

"Gregor-"

"Say it, Luxa. Say it or it doesn't count."

Giving him a look, she simply shook her head. "We must get married now. Quickly."

"When?" he asked, shutting his eyes. "And are you sure? That means that I will be-"

"I do not care. My child will not be overlooked for the throne. I-"

"Luxa, calm down."

"No, Gregor. I have done more than a normal queen would for this…stupid city and then they dare look over my-"

"Lux, the city doesn't even know about the kid yet. Chill. They're not looking down on it…yet."

"Our child is not an it."

Groaning, he ground out, "If this is what this pregnancy is going to be like, let's get married and then let me spend the rest of the time up in the Overland, away from you."

That got him thumped again. "That does remind me though."

"Remind you of what?"

"We have been treating the…pregnancy and the Reclaimer as separate issues."

"That's because they are."

"Tell me, Gregor, if the Reclaimer is real, when would be a better time for him to show his face?"

"Lux, no one knows that you're-"

"I meant at our wedding. If we were to marry, that would be a big day, yes? All of the Overland would know about it, no matter how quickly we attempt to have it done. The Reclaimer would make himself known then and completely ruin it." She was still stroking the back of his head, being rather gentle in comparison to how she usually was. "But we cannot delay it just from fear of retaliation. Then my child will be born a bastard. And I will not allow this city to refuse my child-"

"God, Lux, if you're going to be like this the entire time we're raising the kid, then I don't think I want to be a part of it."

Thump.

"Do you wish for our child to be overlooked then, Overlander?"

"I don't know. I don't…" He let out a long sigh. "Can we not? Please? I'm not… This is still new. I mean, I haven't even told my mom yet. I've only known for-"

"If we are going to marry, then it has to be in the coming week."

"What?"

"Gregor, it has to be quick. Fast."

"And that won't cause suspicious?"

"Not if we let it known that we think that the Reclaimer has shown up," she told him. "Then everyone will believe that I am marrying you to keep you here, so you will fight for me. See? Understand? And then you shall help the champion defeat the Reclaimer at which point we announce my pregnancy. Everyone is so happy from the win that they do not care much of a child. It is commonplace that married people have children."

He opened his eyes then, though it was just to blink. Slowly, he said, "For someone that was totally going to have the child without getting married, you sure have a game plan for what we're going to do when we get married."

"Oh, Gregor, we were always getting married," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I only like to pretend at times. It would have been nice, having the child without marrying you. Liberating, yes? I would have felt powerful."

"You are powerful."

She thumped him.

"What was that for? I complimented you."

"Finger slipped."

"Oh, whatever."

She kissed the top of his head that time, making him lift it slightly to look at her.

"We're going to have a baby, Luxa. Like a real baby."

"I know."

Shaking his head, he shifted on the bed slightly before laying his head down once more. "It's just scary, I guess. Have you ever…taken care of a real baby? Like, not Zander or a toddler, but a baby? A crying baby?"

"No," Luxa said slowly. "When Chim was young, I held her. Once. Maybe."

"Oh, you're gonna be in hell," he told her. "I used to have to take care of Boots. It's not fun, Lux. And you're already stressed out just by Zander. I mean, yeah, he's bad, but a baby's going to be worse. You know that, right?"

"Yes."

He only shook his head slightly. "I dunno. I just, you know, think that you're the type of person to, like, drown your kids or kill them or something."

That didn't just get him a thump. That got him a full on shove.

"Why would you say that?"

"I'm kidding," he told her as she shoved him again. "Luxa-"

"I would never-"

"It was a joke. Calm down. God." He shifted away from her. "You'll be fine as a parent. I guess. And if not then, well, you're a freaking queen. _The_ freaking Queen. If you can't handle the baby or something, you have servants and shit waiting around for your orders. Not to mention, I'm here, you know? It's my baby too."

Slowly, they both relaxed once more, though Gregor did keep more distance between him and her, just in case she went on the attack again. She seemed fine once more though and for awhile, they just laid there, trying to find sleep.

"I didn't know that Perdita lived in the city," Gregor mentioned at some point to Luxa.

"Mmmhmm." Luxa had her eyes closed and was probably hardly listening to him. Gregor just kept speaking though.

"Have you ever been to her apartment before?"

"No," Luxa sighed. "Why?"

"It was just…not what I was expecting, if that makes sense," Gregor said slowly. "I mean, she's the head of the army and she's kind of sleeping on a couch."

"Mmm. I knew she lived with her mother."

"Yeah. I just-"

"Mareth does not live glamorously either, Gregor. Not to mention, she could live in the palace if she wished. She chooses to stay there. I cannot help it."

"I guess so."

"Perdita is very centered in on her work. Other than that, life holds little meaning to her. Living an expensive life would do little for her. Believe me. I think I know her a little better than you."

He only shook his head before cuddling into the bed. "Guess so."

"Why are you thinking of her anyways?"

"She's just, you know, leaving soon for the Dead Lands. I-"

"Foolishly, yes, she is." Luxa shook her head. "In mere hours the head of my army is going to go play scout to prove herself worthy to a dead woman. My dead grandmother."

He only smiled at her slightly. "Hey, Lux?"

"Mmmm?"

"You think that if, like, Solovet hadn't died that day that she would still be your army head? That Perdita would have never gotten a chance?"

"Solovet would have never stepped down, I do not think. Even when I came into power, if she was still alive, she would continue to try and control me. They say that she tried to control my mother as well." Luxa shook her head slightly. "But many things led up to Perdita coming into power other than Solovet's death. She was not next in line. There was-"

"I know. I was just talking."

"Then stop talking, Gregor, and sleep. We only have a short while before we must be up. And that's assuming Zander does not wake up sooner."

"I know," Gregor sighed, rolling onto his other side, so that his back was to her. "It just feels like there's so much going on all at once."

Luxa moved closer to him then, resting her head against the small of his back. "Why, Gregor, you almost sound as if you've never been here before. Everything always happens all at once."


	6. Chapter 6

The Living Dead

Chapter 6

"I think I should go up."

"Up where?"

"You know. Up top. To the Overland."

Luxa glanced over at Gregor then before shaking her head. 'It is not advisable, what with the Reclaimer around. Why would you choose now to go?"

"I want to tell my mother about, you know, the baby and the wedding."

She kept messing with the markers on the map in front of her for a moment before speaking.

"Send her a message."

"Luxa-"

"Gregor, I do not wish for you to-"

"It won't take more than a day. Less, really, as she's probably going to be mad at me. I just want to go up there, tell her, see my sisters, and then I'll come back down. Promise."

"Mmmm…no."

"Luxa."

The two of them were the only ones in the war room for once. He had found her there after his training and figured it was the best time to spring the idea on her. Since Perdita had left, she had spent most of her time in the tactics room, going over scouts reports as she awaited Perdita's return. It was not until she came back with concrete proof of the Reclaimer that they would announce their plan to wed. Luxa was clearly on edge about it.

"I am sorry, Overlander, but I do not think that something such as this requires you to return to the Overland. It is not-"

"You just don't want me to go," he accused then. "Even if the Reclaimer stuff wasn't going on, you still wouldn't want me to go. Admit it."

Luxa just continued to stand there, staring down at the table for a moment before shaking her head. "And why would I not want you to-"

"Every single time we talked about the baby, what did you do? Accuse me of trying to run out on you. That's what you think is going to happen now. Isn't it? Isn't it?" He shook his head at her. "Is that really all that you think of me? That I would seriously go up there and never come back to you? Honestly?"

Instead of answering him, she only began to move pieces again, which about pissed him completely off. As he was next to her, he only reached out to grab her hand, forcing her to let go of the marker.

"Gregor-"

"Look at me."

"Stop. We are-"

"Alone. Now look at me."

She wouldn't though, only jerked her hand from his grasp. "If you must go, then go now. And be back before the morning."

"Luxa-"

"Go."

"You know, eventually you'll learn that you win a lot less friends with this hard ass act."

"I do not need friends, Overlander."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

He didn't leave the room, however, only stood there behind her, waiting for her to calm down some.

"I'll always come back to you, Lux."

She still stood there for a moment or two, staring off, before glancing behind herself at him. "Do not delude yourself into thinking that I honestly care about-"

"Oh, Lux." When he reached out that time, he only laid a hand on her shoulder. "You can't be mad at me for having to go talk to my mother. You do get that, right? I did kind of give up my entire life involving them for you."

"Apparently not if you must still talk to them."

"You're something else, you know that?" He took a step closer then, wrapping his arm around her neck tightly. She tried to elbow him, but he only kissed her neck.

"Enough. We are not-"

"Still alone. And even if we weren't? So what?" He shook his head. "Who's gonna say something to you anyhow? They already talk behind your back. Not that the things they say are wholly untrue-"

"Gregor-"

"But what difference does it make now? Huh?" He kissed the side of her neck again. "We're going to be-"

"Even if we were, Overlander, this is still indecent."

"Indecent. Right." He let go of her then. "You know, I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that the Overland and Underland really aren't that different."

"What are you talking about?"

"Everyone's so concerned with what everyone else is doing in front of their face, but completely ignorant to what they are doing behind closed doors. Men hangout in the mess hall, paying women to go home with them, but I can't hug the person I've been with since I'm twelve because it's indecent? Bull. And you know it."

"I am a queen, Gregor. I-"

"Yeah, I know. You're the freaking Queen. That's great. That's amazing. Whatever. If I was Barrett, would it still be indecent?"

She turned on him then, her eyes dark as they made contact with his. In a low voice, she said, "Do not bring him up again, Overlander. Who am I marrying? Whose child am I having?"

He shrugged slightly. "Why would I kn- Luxa!"

It was by reflex that he caught her wrist when she tried to slap him. It also saved his face a lot of pain. She just as quickly wiggled her hand free from him before turning once more, facing the table like before.

"Go then, Gregor. Back home." She paused to swallow. "And perhaps when you return, another arrangement will be thought of."

"Arrangement?"

"I've finished talking with you."

"Luxa, knock it off. You-"

"Go. You wished to go, now go."

"Well…can you take care of Zander alone until I get back? He-"

"I do while you're here. What difference would it make?"

"Lux-"

"Go."

He didn't even try to hug her that time. Instead he just turned and walked away. After all, he wasn't gong to fight with her. If she wanted to leave things like that, then that's how they would be left.

* * *

><p>The problem with coming home at such short notice without telling anyone was that there was a chance that no one would be home. A big chance. A chance that Gregor ran into in that moment.<p>

It wasn't really that big of a deal. He had a house key, which he always brought with him when he came home and just let himself into the apartment. It was midday on a Wednesday anyways. It wasn't like he was expecting someone to be there, not really. His mother was probably at work, his sisters at school. And besides, he needed some time to think alone.

It was the beginning of the winter in the Overland. After a check of the calendar, he found it to be December 9th. Sometimes he found himself forgetting things like that, the date and even the month. In the Underland, sure, dates existed the same as above, but they were not nearly as important. What was happening in that moment dictated their lives, not what happened in the past or in the future.

Food was the first thing Gregor went in search of. He immediately went to the fridge to find something to eat. There was some leftover pizza, just like he was hoping. With that and a soda, he laid out on the couch to watch TV and think.

He had told Aurora to meet him back at the stairwell in the park in about seven hours. He figured that would give him enough time to explain the situation to his mother and still get back to the Underland without pissing Luxa off too much. Not to mention, after he told his mother the plan, he figured that she wouldn't really want him around for awhile.

He really didn't get why Luxa didn't want him to go home. Not really. If he was really going to leave her, never come back, he would just do it. He wouldn't go through the whole show of getting married and all that bull. And a baby wouldn't have been what made him take off. Luxa's attitude in general would have caused that a long time ago if that was his plan.

Not to mention Zander. He wanted Zander. He chose Zander. And then she had the audacity to act as if he was just pawning the kid off on her? Oh, right, sure. Like she took so much better care of Zander. Yeah right. The only reason Zander clung to her so much was because she pushed him away so often. It's like with a dog. The more a person ignores it, the more it wants their attention. Everyone wants what they can't have. Zander wants Luxa's love and can't get it, so he hangs around and bothers her in a hopeless attempt to win over some affection. Gregor gave Zander unconditional affection and rarely ever got angry with him. Because of that, Zander just always expected Gregor to be that way. He didn't have to prove himself to Gregor or be annoying to keep his attention. Unlike with Luxa who only paid attention when he was annoying.

Gregor also understood her hesitance about him going away, though. He figured it was like when the husband goes away on a business trip or something and the wife gets all bitchy about it. Sort of. Luxa had no idea what went on in New York and she had made it clear to him in the past that she would much rather he just went to the jungle to absorb what light he could from the lava there, than him go up to the Overland. He wasn't sure what sort of relationship she thought he could have with another woman, as he was only in New York every couple of months for at the most a week, in which he normally hung around his younger sisters, but then again, Luxa could accuse him of cheating even if they spent every hour of the day together.

Boots got home first. She was, of course, excited to see him. For a moment anyways. Then he had to go and call her Boots and ruin the whole thing. Still, she did give him a hug before she got pissy, which was a good thing.

She did sit down and watch TV with him though. She revealed to him at one point that she was actually grounded and not supposed to be watching it, so to compensate, he put it on some detective show and told her to look bored.

Grace was the next one to arrive home. At first, she just walked through the front door, hardly even glancing over at the couch. She did yell at Boots though, something about how she needed to turn that TV off and get busy cleaning the house, as part of her punishment.

"Uh, Mom?" Gregor sat up slightly, moving to stand from the couch. "I'm home."

She turned then, at the sound of his voice, before rushing to go hug him. It had been about a month or so since he had come home and every time he stayed away for so long, she feared him dead.

"Gregor," she said as she pulled him into a tight hug. "I've missed you. What are you doing here? Are you staying for-"

"Can I not just come visit sometimes? I mean, you guys aren't that far," he pointed out as she kissed his cheek. "God, Mom, it hasn't been that long."

"I just worry," she said, taking a step back then. "How long have you been here? Awhile? If you had told me you were coming, I would have-"

"I was fine. I just watched some TV while I waited," he said, grinning at her. Boots was still on the couch though, only staring at her mother with pleading eyes, hoping that she would become so distracted with Gregor that she wouldn't remember she was supposed to be cleaning.

"How's the baby then? Is he okay?"

Gregor paused at that word. Baby. Then he shook his head. "He's not a baby, Mom, and he's fine."

"And Luxa then?" his mother asked, staring at his face then. He could tell by the way that she said the other woman's name that she was only asking to be polite. "She is…doing alright?"

"She's fine," Gregor said slowly, nodding his head.

"How long are you staying for then?"

"Just for the day. Not even that. I just came to see you guys for a little bit." He followed her as she headed back into the kitchen. "Is Lizzie-"

"She's got work after school, so she probably won't even come home. Oh, Gregor, she's going to be so upset that she missed you."

"Yeah, well, I just came up to tell you something."

"Tell me something?" his mother asked slowly, glancing back at him. She had gone over to the fridge then, no doubt to grab a soda or something, but stopped at his words. "What are you going to tell me? What is something?"

"Nothing big. Just, uh, well, Luxa and I are going to be married."

"What? You-"

"Probably next week or so."

"Gregor-"

"And she's kind of, you know, pregnant, so that sort of works itself out if we just go ahead and-"

"You cannot be serious."

"Mom-"

"You are serious, aren't you?" She fell back then, against one of the counters, putting a hand to her head. "You got the Queen of a city that hates you half the time pregnant. You got…how could…Gregor-"

"When you put it that way, yeah, it sounds bad, but there's also this new prophecy about some guy called the Reclaimer that they're about to want me to kill probably, so I mean, really-"

"And a new prophecy. Oh, good. Because I was so worried."

"Mom-"

"No. Gregor, you…how could you do this? Now you've completely entangled yourself in all of that mess."

"Mom, it's not a mess. It's-"

"They didn't want you with her, Gregor. They hated you for it. And now you've gotten her pregnant? You can't honestly think-"

"You don't get it thought. They're going to need me to help the champion fight the Reclaimer."

"What are you talking about? Gregor, this is serious."

"It's not that big of a deal," he told her, frowning as Boots suddenly appeared in the room, no doubt having heard the fight. She was looking up at Gregor with a snide grin, as she knew that his new drama would definitely take the attention away from her and put it onto him.

"It's not that big of a deal? Gregor-"

"We already have Zander. Now we'll just have another kid. It's not-"

"It is very different, Gregor, to have a your own child. You and Luxa are just playing house with that boy right now, but an actual baby? You can't leave that behind, Gregor. Now you have a kid down there, you have to stay down there."

"That was the plan from the start, so-"

"Gregor, you've completely ruined any chance of a life up here. You-"

"I don't want a life up here, Mom! I don't have a life up here! I was always going to stay down there. Even if I wasn't with Luxa, that's where I want to be. That's how I want my life to be. And if you don't support that, after all this time, fine. You don't support it. I don't care. I really don't."

She only stared hard at him for a moment before saying, "So what, Gregor? You're just going to become their king? Do you know how silly that sounds?"

"I love Luxa and she-"

"You are twenty-two, Gregor. You-"

"I've been with her since I was-"

"All the more reason not to get married. Or have a kid with her. You don't know what you want. You're only a kid. You-"

"I'm doing this. I'm getting married. I'm having a kid. And if you don't want to be a part of any of that, then don't. But you're not going to stand there and tell me that I'm wrong. I'm an adult. If I want to be a freaking king, I'll be a freaking king!"

Boots lost it at that, falling over into giggles while her mother and brother just glared at her.

"I'm…sorry," she gasped. "It's just so…funny. When you think about it, really."

"It is not funny, Margaret that your brother-"

"Mom, you're mad at him for becoming a king. Think about it. A king. It's silly. You know, that he's going to be one and that you're ticked about it. It's really kind of hilarious. God, I wished I had someone to- Hazard!" She looked to ber brother then. "Can I go home with you and see-"

"No, Margaret, you can't," their mother said flatly, glaring at her son then. "Go clean the bathroom or something."

"But-"

"Go."

With one more stink eye at her mother, the teen turned to go do as asked. Or at least pretend to do as asked. Gregor only continued to glare at his mother though.

"You can stop looking at me like that, Gregor," Grace finally said as she turned to face the fridge finally. "You are the one that did wrong."

"How is wrong to-"

"You got a queen pregnant, Gregor. One that calls you horrible names and mistreats you half the time. You really don't see how that's wrong?"

"Luxa and I have been doing a lot better recently and-"

"Oh, Gregor, you always say that."

"And I always mean that," he told her. "Seriously. Other than her not wanting me to come home today, we-"

"You cannot be serious."

"A lot is going on right now, Mom. We just found out that she's pregnant, we think that the Reclaimer might-"

"Do not talk to me about those stupid prophecies, Gregor."

"Mom-"

"I don't need this right now." She walked around him then, her drink one hand. "I'm going to my room, Gregor. I can't…fight with you today."

"Then don't fight with me," he told her. "Be happy for me."

She only looked him in the eye before asking, "Are _you_ even happy for you?"

He only stared at her as she walked off. Was he happy? Was he really?

* * *

><p>It was Nike that came to pick him up that night, but it was just as well. He really didn't have a preference between her and Aurora. They were both just as good company at that point to him.<p>

When they got back to the palace, Luxa was already in bed. Zander was there too, of course, snuggled up with his tiger. Gregor had brought him a new book back from the house, which he went to put in the boy's bedroom before going to get into bed with him and Luxa.

"What smells?"

"I bought some cookies, before I left," he said, holding up the little white bag before going to hand it to her. She only stared at him though, causing his smile to fall slightly. "What's wrong?"

She only shrugged, sitting up as she took the sack from him. "They smell nice."

The crinkling of the paper bag woke Zander, who immediately sat up and began whining, no doubt smelling the cookies. Luxa gave him one with a roll of her eyes, though she kept watching as Gregor stripped down for bed.

"Mom wasn't happy."

"She is never happy."

"Luxa-"

"Why do you care? You knew that she would not be. Why does it shock you? Why does it interest you? It does not me. In the slightest."

"See, maybe if you were at least somewhat kind to her, she would be-"

"Me? I must be kind?" Luxa snorted as Zander happily munched away on his cookie. "Why must I be anything? She is the one that-"

"Not now, okay? I've been fussed at enough for one day, thanks."

When he laid down on the bed, Zander immediately moved to break off a piece of his cookie and feed it to him. Gregor, who was laying on his side, only opened his mouth to allow the boy to put it in there, which he did of course, giggling slightly at the act.

"Anything happen today?" Gregor asked as Luxa handed Zander another cookie. They were fresh, he had gone out to a bakery to buy them, and he was clearly enjoying himself with them.

"If you were here, you would know. Because you were not-"

"Luxa, you're killing me." He rolled onto his back then. "Did you eat tonight?"

"Again, if you were here-"

"At least eat a cookie or something, alright? I brought them for you, really. Not so Zander could stuff his face."

The little boy made a noise at the sound of his name, though he just kept eating his cookie. Luxa took a cookie for herself before setting the bag down on the side table next to the bed.

"I have received no word from Perdita as of yet. The scouts are still unable to pinpoint the location of the Reclaimer. And Mareth and Barrett are once again at each others throats."

"So really, nothing's changed."

She only glanced over at him. "Susannah and York are coming from the Fount tomorrow."

That caused him some hesitance. "What?"

"They already know. Or at least I sent word to my aunt. Hazard and Kent are accompanying them."

"Kent?"

"I am told that he wishes to become a part of the military. With the threat of the Reclaimer on our backs, now is no greater time."

"Hmmm."

"I have not seen him in some time," Luxa remarked then. "Perhaps the military will do him some good. Toughen him up. Life in the Fount is a joke compared to that of Regalia."

"Right, Luxa," Gregor sighed, closing his eyes. "So anyways, did anything else go on?"

"It was only a few hours, Gregor."

"How's your stomach then?"

That made her pause. "I do not wish to talk about-"

"Luxa, we have to. It's real now, okay? You're pregnant." He let out a slow breath. "You're pregnant. You really are pregnant. That's just the truth. We can't avoid it."

Zander had finished his cookie and was whining for another. Luxa only pulled him to her, giving him a kiss on the head while she was at it.

"You know that I love you, Luxa," Gregor went on, when it was clear that she wasn't going to say anything to him. "I'm not trying to be, like, a jerk or something. I'm honestly not." He turned his head to the side, staring at her. "And I think having a baby will be cool. Or at least fun. Sometimes. And besides, you need an heir, right?"

She only laid there for a moment or two, stroking Zander's stomach gently. Eventually, she said, "What of Alexander then?"

"What about him?"

"Do you not think he won't get jealous when he is older? Of the other child?"

Gregor shrugged slightly. "I haven't thought about it. But we both agreed to let him know that we weren't his real parents, right? So-"

"He will be like…Henry," Luxa said slowly. "He will be very jealous. It won't be fair."

"Luxa-"

"I will give him the Fount," she said then with a nod of her head. "When he is of age, he shall inherit the Fount, should he want it."

"Can you make that happen?" Gregor asked. "What if you're dead before then? If both of us are dead?"

"I can. I will make sure of it." She kissed Zander again, who was clearly starting to get suspicious, He looked up at her, but only giggled. "He is our child too."

"Yeah," Gregor sighed. "He is."

They settled for awhile then, Zander quickly falling back asleep. Gregor only laid there, still too riled up from his day to really fall asleep in that moment. Luxa for her part had taken to stroking Zander's head while staring at her boyfriend.

"Gregor?"

"Mmmm?"

"Are you going to go back to your room tonight?"

"Dunno." He let out a slow breath. "You want me to?"

"I do not care."

"You wouldn't have asked if you did not care."

"I think that it does not matter at this point," she told him flatly. "If you wish to stay, then stay."

"Cool."

"You're going to get Zander ready for the day though," she warned. "And bathe him, if he gets messy at breakfast."

"It's cool," Gregor sighed. "I think I'll be stuck doing all of that sorts of stuff for the new baby too."

"Do not just think, Gregor," Luxa told him then with a sigh. "Believe it without fail."

* * *

><p>As Susannah was coming with him, York arrived sober and right on time. This did nothing to calm Gregor's nerves, however, as he stood there in the High Hall, awaiting their arrival.<p>

York was very happy and jolly when he arrived, like always, while Susannah only stared blankly at Luxa as she stood in front of her.

"Ha, ha! Gregor." York immediately moved to pat the man on the back before squeezing his shoulder. That was not in the least how Gregor would expect him to take the news. "You look well."

"I am well," Gregor said slowly, glancing at Luxa. She was just standing there though, staring back at her aunt. She hadn't even greeted Hazard and Kent.

"Come then, Luxa," Susannah said slowly then. "To your wing, yes? To…discuss things?"

"Yes, let's," she said slowly. Then she looked over at Hazard, who was hanging back slightly, and at Kent, who was just looking about. "Hazard, Nerissa is most overjoyed by your return. I believe her to be in the prophecy room. Should you not go stop in and say hello?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly at her before nodding and heading off. Great, Gregor thought. So the two of them hadn't made up yet. Or were they fighting over something different then? Who knew?

"Go with him, Kent," York ordered then, still grinning at Gregor. "It shall be good for you to see her too."

"She is not my cousin," Kent grumbled, but he headed out too, after Hazard.

It was a silent walk back to the royal wing, save York having to greet everyone they saw. The man knew everyone apparently and that meant he had to greet them all, assuring all the soldiers he passed that he would most certainly be in the mess hall later to discuss stories. Gregor went ahead and tacked on getting sloppy drunk because that was just a given.

When they got to the sitting room, York was overjoyed to find that Luxa had already set out a jug of ale and mugs on the table for his use. He immediately went to pour himself a glass while Susannah only shook her head.

"You do not wish to drink any then?" he asked, only smiling at her.

"No," Susannah said slowly. Then she looked around. "York, what if you and the Overlander speak here, yes? Catch up? Luxa and I have a few things to speak about privately."

This was no concern to York, who only happily poured Gregor a mug as well.

"You do not wish for any either then, Luxa?" York asked her. "I see no wine around."

"I am cutting back, uncle," she told him simply before leading Susannah off, no doubt to her own bedchamber.

"Women," York said simply as he sat down on one of the couches. "They can never just allow themselves any fun. Always so concerned with things."

Gregor frowned, slowly going to sit on the couch opposite the man. Did York…not know? That was a strong possibility. Though Gregor couldn't imagine why Susannah would be keeping anything from him. And why did he think then that they were in Regalia? Hmmm.

"Though it is a stressful time," York remarked then as Gregor picked up his own mug. "The Reclaimer and all."

"Yeah, well, I'm not so sure Luxa's not overreacting on that one."

"Women are known to do that as well," York assured him before downing at least half the mug in his hand. "Mmmm. It is a nice excuse for a visit, however. Though Susannah was insistent on coming."

"You did not want her to?"

York shrugged slightly at that. "It is not setback to me that she has. She will just monitor my drinking like at home. Does not mean much, I suppose. She cannot stop me from what I am going to do."

Sure. Gregor only shook his head. "I would be annoyed if Luxa came to the Fount with me."

"That is because you and Luxa are different from Susannah and I. You and my niece thrive off fighting. I do not fight with Susannah. I cannot fight with Susannah. I never have been able to."

"Because you love her."

"No," York said slowly. "Because she will cry. And cry. And cry. I do not rather like crying. It is a nuisance and solves nothing. I found early on that it is much easier to allow her to tell me what is bothering her and then explain to her what I can or cannot do about it. That is how we handle problems.

"Not that we do not fight. Because we do. Problems spring up at times. Like Kent. He is going to be a soldier, what a man should be. I let her have Howard, that was fine. But she cannot have Kent. He wishes to fight and he shall. We did fight over that. Much. But I have won."

"You have won?"

"Well, in a roundabout way. Kent was going to be a soldier no matter what I said. But still. I won. Sort of. Enough to count." York shook his head. "She wins everything else. Why can I not have won this once?"

Gregor stared down at his drink for a moment before saying, "Is that why you guys are really here? To see Kent off?"

"No. The boy is a man now. He could have done this all on his own. Susannah wanted to come see Luxa about something. The Reclaimer, I am sure. You know how stressed Luxa gets when a prophecy is brought up." York settled into the couch, stretching one arm across the back. "Besides, Susannah has not been to Regalia since her father's passing. This is her home more than mine. If she wishes to go to Regalia a few times a year, then fine. Not much goes on in the Fount anyhow."

"Lucky you."

"Say, where's the boy then?" York looked around at the toys that had been left out from the day before. "The one that you and Luxa are-"

"He's napping."

"Ah." York nodded his head then. "Children are fun when they are that young. I-"

"I must go speak with Howard."

York glanced toward the doorway, hardly seeming concerned with his wife suddenly being there. "Aye. That is a good idea. I shall-"

"Alone," Susannah said briskly, glancing at Gregor then. "Apparently he has been giving out unsavory advice to Luxa. I-"

"You do not have to explain your life to me. Just refill my mug before you go, please." York held it out, not even looking at her any longer. Susannah, as always, was quick to do as he asked while Luxa slowly followed into the room, looking no less annoyed than she had all day.

"Refill, Lux?" Gregor asked, but one glare shut that right down. "Or not."

"Mmmm. Thank you." York smiled at his wife when she handed him his mug back. He even gave her a kiss on the cheek. "And what sort of advice would you need anyways, Luxa? From Howard? He is not a general. He's like his mother. Boy's lucky he can even swing a sword."

"It was not about that, York," Luxa said as she stood next to the couch Gregor was on, her arms crossed. "He suggested that I abort my child."

"Mmm. He always…what?"

Susannah bit her tongue then, making a pinched face as she turned to stare at her niece. "Luxa, your uncle did not know about-"

"What are you talking about?" York sat up then as Gregor closed his eyes tightly, biting the inside of his cheek in hopes it would wake him up. Nope. Not a dream. Damn. "An abortion? Luxa are…you cannot be serious."

"Well-" Luxa started, but York cut her off.

"You are, aren't you? And you let me sit here, and talk to him, to Gregor, not even…" York stood then, quickly towering over his wife, who only looked off. "And you knew then? Susannah-"

"I knew how you would react York and thought-"

"You allowed me to look as if I am a fool because-"

"York, take a breath. It is not-"

"Susannah-"

"York, do not-"

"No, Susannah." He looked from her then to Gregor, who figured it was best to stand then, as everyone else was. "And you, Gregor, it is yours then, I am assuming?"

"What are you implying?" Luxa made a face at York who only shook his head at her.

"Your mother and father would be so disappointed in you," he said then, keeping eye contact with her.

"York." Susannah literally hit him then, but he only grabbed her hand and threw it away from her.

"Yours would as well, Susannah," he said, voice pinched. "I watched all of Vikus and Solovet's children _fuck_ their lives up and I am not going to let her do the same thing. You have more than tarnished your reign, Luxa. Now do you hope to completely obliterate it? This is something that-"

"You are not my father," Luxa told him harshly, though her tone stayed even. "And never speak of him again. You are not blood to me and you know _nothing_ of Vikus and Solovet. You were nothing, but a soldier that caught a lucky break and do not think that I won't take it away from you."

"I do not wish to be Lennox, Luxa, I truly do not. I did not even like the man half the time," York went on, clearly getting more and more disgruntled by the moment. "I am the last male of this family, however, and I will not sit by and watch it burn. What do you think shall happen now? Hmmm? That they will all just accept this with open arms and take your child in as the next heir?"

"We are going to be married and-"

"It won't matter. You think that you got death attempts when you were a child? Your child will most certainly be killed before-"

"York, enough." Susannah shook her head at him. "You are not-"

"Not what, Susannah? Smart enough to grasp this situation? Intelligent enough to think up a plan? I let your brother and your brother-in-laws do whatever they wanted because they were so much smarter than me. They knew so much more than me. You know where they all are now? All the smart, smart men? The intelligent men? Dead. Hamnet, Lennox, and Edward are all dead. Vikus as well. Even Solovet, the cunning old bat. And now this is all left on my shoulders. I was suppose to watch after her. You were too. And we allowed this to-"

"Enough. I mean it, York. You are-"

"I am what, Susannah? Angry? Too loud? Good! I am angry. I am too loud. I have a right to be. We messed this up, Susannah. We should have put a stop to this long ago. We should have stuck a sword through the Overlander's back the second we had a chance. Do you not think it is what Solovet would have done? Judith? Lennox? Lennox would have never allowed this to begin, much less escalate to this. I-"

"York." Susannah finally just grabbed his hands, forcing him to stare down at her. "You are gong to go to go down to the mess hall now and say no more. You are going to get drunk and I am going to come get you in a few hours. Then you are going to go to bed and on the morrow, you are going to have a better attitude."

"I-"

"Go."

He held her gaze for a long moment before heading out of the room, not even looking at Gregor or Luxa. It was only once he was gone that Susannah spoke.

"Now do you see why I did not wish for him to know?" Susannah only rolled her eyes. "I must…go speak with Howard. Yes. I must go speak with Howard now."

Gregor could see it though; that what York said was true before. She was pretty teary eyed. He knew for a long time though that Susannah did not like confrontation. York's outburst probably upset her.

Luxa only nodded slightly, clearly not interested with her aunt any longer. She never did like anyone to bring up Lennox. Especially not to say that he would disagree with her. Vikus did it a few times, when Luxa first came into power. It never did go over well.

When it was finally just them again, Gregor slowly fell back onto the couch, waiting for Luxa to join him. She did so slowly, though she quickly moved to rest her head n his lap once she had, laying out on the couch.

"Gregor?"

"Mmmm?" He stared down at her then, not really sure what to say. He couldn't be too mad at York, as the man was right. Gregor truly had no business getting Luxa pregnant. But it had happened. And it wasn't going away any time soon.

"York has always liked the idea of you being with me. He has always thought of us as good together." Luxa only looked up at him. "He did not like it, not always, but he came to accept it. He always says that you are family."

"Mmmm."

"My point is, that if someone that is not unfamiliar with the idea had that sort of reaction," she began, only staring into his eyes, "then how will everyone else take it?"


	7. Chapter 7

The Living Dead

Chapter 7

"Thank you, cousin, for telling my mother of-"

"You are welcome. I only thought that she should know of your adverse practices."

"Yes, Luxa, because I suggest to all women that they rid themselves of the demon inside of them."

"The first step to getting help is admission, so-"

"Luxa."

Gregor only sighed, rolling his eyes. He and Luxa had been alone in the war room when Howard came in. Of course that led Luxa to mention to Gregor that the guard was too relaxed and needed a good scolding. You know, because it was whatever when everyone under the sun came into the room. But Howard? How dare they let Howard in?

"I have heard more than enough from your side of the family today," Luxa said simply, continuing to stare down at a scroll that had just been brought to her. "As a side note, your father is not invited to the wedding."

"Luxa-"

"Neither are you. Perhaps the two of you can spend some good bonding time together while everyone else is at the reception. Other than your wretched sister. She is not invited either."

Howard looked to Gregor then, who was standing next to Luxa, but he could only shrug. For once, Luxa wasn't mad at him. She was upset with her family and it was making her forget anything and everything he had ever done to her. Why would he screw that up?

"Then I take it you are going through with the wedding," Howard finally said as he approached the table as well. Luxa glanced up at him before shrugging.

"Not that it is any of your concern, but yes. We are." Luxa shrugged slightly. "It shall give everyone a good chance to have a party before we begin war."

"If we begin war," Howard corrected, causing her to narrow her eyes at him.

"Why are you here again, Howard? Just to annoy me? Or just to complain that your mother knows what a monster you are?"

"I am not a monster, Luxa, for trying to save your image."

"The Overlander and I have grown quite attached to the idea of having a child," Luxa said then with a shrug of her shoulders. "And he has not taken well to your suggestions of killing our baby."

That time when Howard looked to him, Gregor shook his head. Not that he was ever going to let the abortion or whatever happen, but he definitely wasn't about to fight with the other man over it. Especially considering it was never a real option to begin with.

"Now leave us, Howard," Luxa said with a shake of her head. "You are boring me again."

"Luxa-"

"Your mother, father, and brother are all here. Can you not go bother one of them? Please? I am here constantly. You should be just as bored of me by now as I am of you." Then she paused. "Though you never have been that entertaining to me."

"What do you want, Howard?" Gregor finally asked when it was clear that he was getting nowhere fast with Luxa. "Because we both just got chewed out by York and aren't really-"

"I do not wish for anything. I only came here to inform you, Luxa, of that fact that Mother has decided we should all have dinner tonight. Together. Nerissa, Hazard, and Kent as well."

"I am very busy," Luxa said with a shrug. "I shall make an appearance if it is feasible."

Howard stared hard at her for a moment before nodding his head. "Fine. I shall see you then."

"Maybe," Luxa was quick to add. He only rolled his eyes before heading off. Once it was only them again, Gregor spoke.

"So are we going to dinner then? Really?"

"I suppose," she said slowly. "Besides, Zander will wish to see Hazard. And I am certain you will force me to eat something."

"Very certain."

"Then might as well get it out of the way."

He nodded at the scroll then. "Anything about the Reclaimer? Or Perdita?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "It is from a scout in another part of the Dead Lands, looking for-" She caught herself. "Just scouting the lands and such."

"Looking for what?"

"Hmmm?"

"Luxa-"

"What are you talking-"

"Looking for what?" Gregor frowned then before shaking his head. "Or better yet, who? Ripred?"

"I know not what you speak of, Overlander."

"Luxa-"

"If you must know, I think it is wise to know if he is truly dead or alive. So we know where our allies and enemies lay, yes? If he is lying dormant for awhile, fine, but he should have at least alerted me. Or you. Someone."

"You care about him."

"No," she said, clicking her tongue while she was at it. "I do not. I just think that it is wrong of him not to inform anyone of his location for so long. He is normally very in our face about these sorts of things. Since Vikus died, however, he has not shown his face at all."

"Perhaps you hurt his feelings."

"Oh, be quiet, Overlander. Go find something else to do. I wish to be alone."

Rolling his eyes, Gregor moved press a kiss against her neck, which she allowed. Again, as much as he hated feuding with York, if it meant Luxa's anger was shifted to someone other than him, then at least it had a perk. She only turned her head to the side in that moment, allowing him to kiss her again.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear finally, thinking that it had probably been said too much recently for her comfort, but feeling the need to reiterate it anyhow. He knew that she never quite liked things like that, bringing up their relationship and such. It bothered her to no end. She didn't like having to reestablish the obvious. "And I don't give a damn about York or Susannah. Regalia, the Fount. I only care about you. I only care about being with you. No matter what."

That was enough for her then as she shrugged him off. She could only take so much of that, after all. Even if she wasn't mad at him.

* * *

><p>"Haven't seen you around much," Gregor remarked to Mareth who only shrugged, continuing to stare down into his mug of ale. "What's wrong?"<p>

"It has been a number of days now."

"Mareth-"

"She could at least send word. She knows that we are awaiting word. That everything-"

"You drunk, buddy?"

Mareth only sighed, shaking his head. "She knows that we did not wish for her to go and now she is taking forever to get back. What if she is in trouble and-"

"Perdita was made active head after Solovet died. Then, after a new permanent head was found, she stayed a general. And now she is head once more. She is the best person for the job. She knows what she's doing. More than either of us." Gregor sat down next to him with a sigh. "Besides, you were the one that told her you wanted her gone."

"She knows that was jest," Mareth remarked with a roll of his eyes. "She is the only reason that Andromeda and I are in Regalia. I could be having fun in the Fount right now if it was not for her."

"You would be just as worried about her in the Fount as you would be here."

Mareth only grunted, letting Gregor know that he didn't wish to discuss it any further. Which was great, as Gregor really had no desire to talk of it either.

"York is in the capital."

"I have heard."

"He is rather upset about the…turn of events, recently."

Mareth shook his head. "I doubt he wanted to see the…reign crumble either."

Gregor looked around the mess hall, but no one was paying them much mind. There were women about, after all.

"It is not just that. He said that he wished that I had never-"

"I am sure that he was angry, Gregor." Mareth shook his head slightly. "And you have to admit, things would be highly less complex if you were not around. And even if you were an Underlander the way things are panning out would not be desirable. An unwanted…complication such as what you are going to have has ruined many reputations."

"What would you do then? If you and one of the women you are with…got this particular complication?"

He blinked. Then he sighed. "It would be very different for me. I enjoy children. I would marry her and continue on with my life."

"You would give up other women then?"

"If that is what she wanted," Mareth said with a shrug. "I suppose. But that is very different than from what you are about to go through."

"Yeah," Gregor sighed. "I know."

"Cheer up, Gregor," Mareth said then, reaching over to pat him on the shoulder. "Soon the Reclaimer will be breathing down our throats and we will get to watch the birth of the champion. Soon, the warrior will fade into oblivion and the champion shall reign supreme."

Why did that not make him feel any better? Like, at all?

After spending some time with Mareth, Gregor headed out, too worried to stay in the mess hall too long. He had not seen York and figured Susannah had already rounded him up, but still did not wish to face him. At least not until dinner. He wasn't sure if he could exactly get out of that one.

The next place Gregor went was to free Zander from the horrors of the nursery, where he had been since he had woken up from his nap that day. The boy was understandably excited and was practically racing down the halls, far too wiggly for Gregor to carry. It was fine though, as they had not far to go.

"Gregor," Nerissa said with a smile as he entered the room. "And Zander too."

The little boy immediately ran to her, as she was seated on the floor of the prophecy room, huddled over in blankets as always. Gregor frowned slightly, shaking his head. He was never certain if it was better for Nerissa when she was heavily medicated and bedridden or when she was not and chose to spend all her time studying words of the long dead.

"I thought that Hazard and Kent were in here?"

"Who?"

"Hazard, Nerissa. I thought he came to tell you-"

"Oh, yes. Hazard. He did. Kent as well." She was looking back at the wall then, running a finger over some of the inscription there. Zander was standing next to her, only watching with interest, though that was more from the shadows that she was casting. "They left though. I feel like that was days ago."

He only shook his head. "Well, anyways, there's supposed to be a dinner tonight. For Susannah and York being in town. You're invited, you know, if you wanna come. If not-"

"I am very busy as it is, Overlander."

"That's fine," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. Then it registered that Nerissa did nothing all day, but sleep and study prophecies that she had memorized backwards and forwards. "Wait, busy with what?"

"Hmmm?"

"What are you busy with, Nerissa?"

"Oh." She giggled then, glancing up at him as he came to stand over her. "Have I not told you, Gregor?"

"Told me what?" He was starting to lose the little patience that he had left that day. "What are you talking about, Nerissa?"

"My vision, remember?" She ran her hand over a specific prophecy. "I knew it was here, but I could not remember it's exact position on the walls. There are so many, after all, and you know that I am slowly losing my mind-"

"Nerissa, what are you talking about?"

She only frowned slightly, looking up at him. "Do you not get it, Gregor?"

"Get what?"

"Luxa, she is confused. She is always confused. She was never good at these things, you know, prophecies and-"

"Nerissa," he repeated, taking a harsher, more direct tone with her. "What are you talking about?"

"The prophecy that we are currently under, of course," she told him with a smile. "Luxa, she is wrong. It is not the Reclaimer that we must fear."

"Wh-What?" Gregor frowned. "Then who-"

"It is the Living Dead, Gregor," she told him simply. "As in my vision, yes? I am only trying to decipher it for you."

"What-"

"Someone is back from the depths of Hell and they are coming for you and Luxa. Even the champion could not save you now."

* * *

><p>Gregor had sat through some awkward dinners before. Many, actually. And when he thought about it, they all involved Luxa. Huh. Imagine that.<p>

At the one he was seated at in that moment, everyone was present. Nerissa, Hazard, Zander, Howard, Kent, Susannah, and York all there. Luxa as well, of course, as well as Rhea and Aurora, who spoke quietly between each other, as they rarely had a chance to see one another.

Gregor could not really pay attention to any of it, however, as he could only keep replaying the prophecy that Nerissa had read to him. They had sat there, not even going over it, just reading repeatedly, until it was as etched in his mind as it was extolled on that wall.

"…Gregor? Gregor? Are you listening?"

He looked up then to see Hazard staring at him, as well as a few others. "Huh?"

"I said that I have finally mastered juggling."

"Juggling?" Gregor repeated, as if the word was foreign. Hazard only nodded at him though as he sat across from him, Zander in his lap. The little boy had practically hung off him since the start of the meal.

"Juggling. For when I become a vender?"

Gregor glanced at Luxa, who bit her tongue for once, only reaching for her glass. It was when she took a sip though that she almost spit it all back up.

"What?" Susannah frowned at her as Nerissa looked on with concern. "What's wrong?"

Luxa only cleared her throat, coughing slightly. "I was not expecting water, is all. I thought it was wine."

Hazard frowned. "Have you tired of being an alcoholic then?"

"Hazard," Susannah snapped at him, apparently having taken Luxa's place in that department.

"Take deep breaths, cousin," Howard sighed, shaking his head. "The taste of something pure merely shocked you."

"Not you too, Howard," Susannah said with a glare. "You have already been warned today."

"Are you okay, Lux?" Gregor asked softly, staring at her. "Do you need something?"

She shook her head, slightly embarrassed then, before just bloating at her mouth with a cloth. "No. I am fine."

York only stared on with drunken eyes, somehow finding a way to still his tongue for once.

"You were speaking of juggling, Hazard?" Nerissa brought back up then to which the guy nodded.

"Yes. I can juggle fruit now. Would you like to-"

"No, Hazard," Luxa said when she was finally in composed once more. "You shall not be demonstrating here."

He only frowned at her, but said nothing as he looked back down at his plate. Gregor sighed before thinking back on the main thing on his brain in that moment. The words were still fresh to him and he recalled them with ease.

_Darkness hides his face_

_Of which love is consumed by hate_

_Blood his body can no longer encase_

_Replaced by what is to seal his fate_

_Lies form greed leading to duplicity_

_It is only once it is over that we can see_

_Kept in the shadows to heal_

_Years pass slowly in anguish_

_Enemies harboring secrets reveal_

_Thought to already be vanquished_

_Lies form greed leading to duplicity_

_It is only once it is over that we can see_

_Shock and dismay must give way to action_

_Weakness cannot be the approach_

_For if even shown a faction_

_Dead is not something he shall fear to broach_

_Lies form greed leading to duplicity_

_It is only once it is over that we can see_

_A victor must be decided_

_To challenge the living dead_

_For it is only when warring opinions are collided_

_That one will survive with their head_

_Lies from greed led to duplicity_

_And now you all will see_

The prophecy sounded a lot worse to him than the Reclaimer one did. Way worse. Maybe it was because unlike the Reclaimer one, there was no new hero named. It mentioned a victor, but it did not specify one. Gregor was not so sure if the victor turned out to be him that he could carry the Underland on his back all alone again. And with Ripred missing and showing no hopes of return, he knew that he would truly be on his own. Especially if what Nerissa said was true and the Reclaimer business was just a ruse. Then they would have to announce the wedding without any cause behind it. And the pregnancy. God, that'd go over like hell.

"Gregor, you are not paying attention again."

It was Susannah that time who was scolding him. He only blinked before glancing at her.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," she said with a shake of her head. "Your head seems to be else where."

York snorted at that, but said nothing else. Hazard though, always the helpful one, easily spoke up.

"Perhaps it is the pregnancy that has you so disillusioned, Gregor," he offered up with a slight nod, as if certain. "Right?"

"H-Hazard." That time, Luxa choked on nothing. "How did you-"

"What?" Kent finally spoke then, as he had been rather quiet the entire meal. That news got his attention though. "Who's pregnant? You? Luxa? Or someone else?"

"Oh, dear." Nerissa blushed then, as if embarrassed for her cousin. "This is shocking news, Luxa. Who did Gregor get pregnant?"

"Luxa, of course," Hazard said, still attempting to be helpful. Gregor only closed his yes with a sigh. "That is a silly thing to ask, Ner-"

"Hazard!" Luxa was back to her old self then, her tongue no doubt bitten right on through at that point. "How did you find out about-"

"When Susannah was telling Stellovet, I happened to be-"

"You were listening in on my conversation?" Susannah glanced down at him then, as if in shock. Gregor was not though, as Hazard had a horrible habit of eavesdropping. Again, it went to him more or less being raised by someone hardly older than himself. "You-"

"You told Stellovet?" Luxa looked down right stricken then while Howard only rolled his eyes.

"Might as well have told the world, Mother," he remarked.

"Hush," York said then, frowning down at his oldest son. "Do not speak to your mother that-"

"Luxa, she is my daughter," Susannah reasoned then as she reached over to lay a hand on York's arm, silencing him. "I did not think-"

"You told Susannah before me?" Nerissa looked to Luxa then, almost hurt. Gregor had never seen her that way before. Usually she was too, well, stoned, technically, to feel anything other than drowsy. "Luxa?"

"Nerissa, I-"

"Do not feel bad, Nerissa," Hazard said then, once again failing at keeping quiet. Gregor sent him a look, but it did no use. "I am her favorite cousin, after all, and I had to hear of it from others."

"You had to sneak around to hear of it from others," Luxa said then, frowning at him. "I thought that we discussed that, Hazard?"

"You listen in on things others say all the time," he accused. "Especially Gregor. You-"

"Enough."

"I-"

"Hazard-"

"Wait, he's your favorite cousin?" Kent frowned then. "He cannot even make friends! No on in the Fount even likes him. He-"

"Well, you did not think it was you, did you?" Howard grumbled, stabbing at some sort of vegetable on his plate. "I mean, honestly, Kent."

"I-"

"Enough!"

York slammed his mug of ale down on the table so suddenly that it shocked everyone into silence. Except Zander, who just let out a slight whine and cuddled back against Hazard.

"You all sound as if you are children," York grumbled as he pushed away from the table. Susannah tried to grab one of his arms, but he was uncharacteristically rough with her and shoved her away. "You, you are pregnant, Luxa. That is a serious matter. And we are all treating it as if it is a joke. You and this boy are going to be married in the coming weeks. No talk of it until then. You understand? Not with others listening. Too many people know as it is! And I can only imagine the others that you have told. If you do not wish for the entire Underland to know of the bastard in your stomach, then you will learn to watch your mouth better. Else you'll lose your chance at a heir. And the Heavens know your mother could only get pregnant once."

With that, York left the room, Rhea immediately taking flight to follow after him.

Everyone was silent for a moment or two then, even Susannah and Luxa, who only stared at each other. As always, it was Hazard who broke the silence.

"Anyways, Luxa," he began, his tone normal and even, as if nothing had even happened. "Is there to be cake? Or not? Because if no, then I-"

"Oh, Hazard," she finally sighed, only shaking her head slightly. "I have missed you."

He frowned at that. "Was that a no? If so, I must go practice my juggling. And since you will not allow me to in here-"

"You may go."

"I was not asking permission," he grumbled as he pushed up from the table, taking Zander with him. Kent was quick to follow.

Even though they seemed to not like each other, they sure were hanging around each other enough. Gregor figured it was a nerve reaction from Kent though, as Hazard was the only other young male that he knew around. Not that Hazard was a good person to get you known in Regalia. Not at all.

"Well," Susannah said slowly after they had left. "Today was a disaster. Does anyone have anything else to add?"

"Oh, yes." Nerissa perked up then, smiling at Luxa. "Gregor and I have both decided that someone is coming back from the dead to kill you, Luxa."

At that, the Queen blinked. Then, slowly, she began to laugh. It was not a comfortable one though and it made the remaining people in the room extremely anxious. Luxa only leaned forwards though, resting her head in one of her hands as slowly the laughter changed to tears.

"Luxa," Gregor sighed, moving to stand, but it was Aurora who was over to her the fastest. Still, she only rested her head in her hands for a moment before slowly speaking.

"I do not…I must go." She took in a breath then before standing. She looked at Gregor then, but only turned to leave the room, Aurora leaving with her. He would have gone, but he figured she was better suited for calming her down than he.

The next one to break the silence was Nerissa, who merely clapped her hands, as if in a job well done kinda way.

"This has been most fun, Susannah, Howard." She stood then, nodding at them both. "We must all having breakfast again together."

"Dinner, dear," Susannah sighed slightly, hanging her own head in defeat.

"What?" Nerissa frowned then, glancing at Gregor. He only shook his head.

"Nothing, Nerissa," he said, reaching out to grab his mug of ale. "Nothing at all."

* * *

><p>When Gregor made it back to the royal wing that night, it was to find Luxa in the sitting room, stretched out along one of the couches. This wouldn't have been so unusual, had someone else not been there with her.<p>

It was York, even as large as he was, on his knees next to the couch, near her head. She must have been sleeping as some point, as she only laid there on her side, one arm strewn protectively over her stomach as she listened to him talk softly.

"-protect you is all. I would not have cared, had you have already been married. I just…Lennox is gone. As is Vikus. I only care for you." York was stroking her head as he spoke to her, as if she were a small child. Gregor knew from experience that Luxa did not like to be treated in such a way, but she was allowing it with York for some reason. "Your aunt and I, we only want what is best for you. What Judith and Lennox would have wished for you. Your mother, she never rather liked me, but I would like to think that even she would be able to say that we kept you safe in her absence. Yes?"

Luxa nodded slightly, only staring him in the eyes. Neither had noticed Gregor in the doorway, and he was too shocked to call attention to himself.

"Your mother tried for years to have a child. It annoyed her to no end when she was unable to conceive one. And then Susannah and her sister-in-law, they seemed to have no such problems. And your grandmother taunted her with it constantly." York shook his head. "I do not know what she would have done, had she known that even Hamnet eventually had a child. She was always so jealous of her twin. She would have probably died.

"But oh, Luxa, you do not know the methods your mother tried. She took every potion, every herb, anything anyone ever said might aid in pregnancy. And Lennox, he just allowed it. He did not like it, he told her many times that it did not matter to him, but it was so imbedded into her mind by that point that she must have one that she would stop at nothing. And then when she had you-"

"She was disappointed," Luxa finally spoke, her voice broken and tired. She had heard the story enough growing up, after all. "She had once chance at a child and it was wasted on a daughter."

York hesitated before nodding his head. It was true enough, after all. Also well known.

"Your mother would not have cared any better for a son though," he said finally. "She was not a friendly woman to begin with. Very withdrawn. In all honesty, she should never had had a child. She did not want one either, I suspect. Was only jealous of what she could not have. Felt incompetent without one.

"Your father though, he was most pleased regardless. He took you everywhere with him. Even when you got older. Even when you did wrong, he always would find a way to make it as if you were right. You could poke one of your cousin's in the eye and he would simply say it was you, learning not to show weakness at an early age."

York laughed then, but it was fake and dry. Then, slowly, he leaned his head forward, more towards Luxa.

"My point is, Luxa, that I was wrong before. To speak ill of you in that way. I do not know what your parents would think of you. I know that they would be proud that you have led the realm through what you have. I also know, however, that they would not be pleased to find you with child. It is unbecoming, you understand?"

She nodded slightly and suddenly looked in the doorway. She didn't seem shocked to know Gregor was there and suddenly he realized she had known he was there the entire time.

"If you were not the Queen, I might not even care much. It is something that happens, you know, when…when…" York was no doubt blushing then and only shook his head. "And it was not like your aunt and I did not know that you and the Overlander were…were… But I never though that this would happen. Though I guess all things shall end, eventually, yes? Good and bad. I-"

Luxa reached out then with the hand that had been wrapped over her stomach to rest a finger against her uncle's lips, silencing him. Then, slowly, she said, "You are embarrassed, I know, but-"

"Not embarrassed, Luxa," he said as she moved to cup his cheek then, staring at him. "Never embarrassed. Not of you. I have made far more mistakes in my life than you."

"You have?"

He nodded at her then, looking off. "I was not too good of a person, before I met your aunt."

"You were always a drunk. What is worse than that?"

He poked her nose then, grinning slightly. "And you are well on your way to that status as well."

That made her frowned and let him go, but he only continued to stare at her.

"You are keeping the child then, Luxa?" he finally asked, seriousness back in his tone. "You eat so little, it would be easy to hide this pregnancy. If we were careful. Then you could give the child to-"

"No," Luxa said then, her voice firm, but soft. "I am keeping the baby. I have to. I…want to."

"Nobel." He leaned forwards then to kiss her head, something that Gregor was certain no other relative was allowed. "That is what you are. Always. And never let anyone tell you otherwise. Not even myself."

With that, he stood, though it took some effort. Gregor always hated that, the moment when he had to realize that people he always thought would be there, that were just constants in his life, were getting older. And the abuse that York put on his body, the toll it took from the drinking and the fighting, there was no chance at old age for him. He wondered if Susannah realized that. He could not imagine her without her husband. Not at all.

When York got to him, he did not seem surprised to see him either. Only patted him on the head as if he were a child, before heading passed him, calling out something about having to go find his wife, that she was missing him or something or other. And she probably was.

Then it was just Gregor and Luxa. He had not seen her since dinner and was not too sure on her mental state. Keeping that in mind, he slowly walked forwards, only staring down at her.

"You okay?" he finally got out. It was not until she gave her signature eye roll that he knew whatever emotional drama that had overtaken her before had dissipated. Smiling then, he came closer.

"Where is Zander, Overlander?" she finally asked, staring up at him.

"With Hazard and Kent. I'm sure they already put him to bed."

"Hmmm."

He made a motion with his hands then, making her shift on the couch to accommodate him. She did this by sitting up and keeping her distance, but at least she was being somewhat nice for once. Gregor knew that since she had once again made up with York that he would be back to being her number one target and did not welcome the idea with open arms.

"So you and Nerissa spoke," Luxa said then, glancing at him, but he only shook his head.

"Later."

"Gregor-"

"I do not think that now is the time to-"

He was cut off then as they heard the sound of someone running down the hall. They then heard a guard call out to whoever it was, though the exchange was quick and just like that, the sound of running was back. Not a moment later, one of the messengers was in the sitting room.

"Queen Luxa," he panted, falling to one knee as both she and Gregor stood.

"Rise. What is it?" Luxa quickly crossed over to him.

"The head of the army has returned," he said, keeping his head bowed even as he got back to his feet.

"Good," Luxa said then, seeming to relax then. "Where is she? The war room?"

"No." The messenger shook his head then, finally looking up at her. "The hospital."

* * *

><p><strong>That's the second prophecy I've written for this story and let me just say, if it wasn't germane to the story, I would not have. I really, really hate writing them. <strong>


	8. Chapter 8

The Living Dead

Chapter 8

"It is merely a broken arm. There is no need to be so dramatic about it," Perdita complained slightly as Luxa merely shrugged her shoulders.

"I have come to check on you just as I would anyone," Luxa told her. "And Gregor came because, well, he has nothing better to do with his time than follow me around."

He shot Luxa a look for that before turning back to Perdita. They were standing in a hospital room, where her broken arm had just been put in a splint. One of her soldiers was in there too, being treated for a nasty gash to his arm that looked about infected.

"So what did you find out about the Reclaimer?" Gregor asked then to which Perdita shook her head.

"Nothing. We searched everywhere. I did find some packs of gnawers that weren't mapped out by the scouts, but other that, nothing."

"It is as I thought," Gregor said then, causing Luxa to frown at him.

"This is about what Nerissa said earlier?" Luxa asked, glancing at him. He just nodded slightly before speaking again.

"We should speak in the war room. With Barrett and Mareth there," Gregor told them to which Perdita nodded.

"Perdita," Luxa interrupted then. "You have only just arrived, yes?"

"In the past hour or so."

"That is what I am saying. You should take some time to rest. It is the middle of the night-"

"I wish to deal with this all now," she said. "I am done here, in the hospital. Let us head to the war room. Gregor, can you round up the others? I am certain they are both in the mess hall."

"Aye," he said, nodding his head slightly then. "I will meet you both in the tactics room then."

It was not like Gregor didn't realize what was slowly happening. He was beginning to turn into the messenger of the group, always getting sent out to round up the others. It was not like he could complain much, however, as Luxa was the Queen, Perdita was the head, and Mareth was disabled. That left him and Barrett, and something told Gregor that he was the last guy to fill that position at the moment.

"Ah. The Overlander. Come to still these women too?"

Gregor frowned at Barrett as he approached him sometime later in the mess hall. He was seated in a chair, one woman draped over his lap, another standing behind him, talking about something nonsensical. Gregor only stared the other general in the eyes though, no play in his voice when he finally spoke.

"Perdita has returned. There is a meeting being held in the war room. Now. You are to be there."

"Oh, am I?"

"I am not going to argue with you," Gregor said, turning to walk off then. "It is Luxa's orders. Do what you wish with them."

It was not hard to find Mareth after that. He was just where Gregor had left him, though he was much more intoxicated than he had been earlier in that day. There was a woman at the table with him then, but no one else. And she was only sitting there rubbing his shoulder soothingly as he sat with his head rested on the table, as if upset. Rolling his eyes, Gregor went to go shove his head.

"Mareth. Get up."

He grunted. "I am fine here."

"He is in mourning," the woman told Gregor then, glancing up at him. He had seen her before, but could not recall her name. Mareth had taken her to functions in the past more than likely.

"Over what?" Gregor asked, frowning.

"My wasted life," Mareth mumbled from against the table. Groaning, Gregor rolled his eyes before speaking again.

"Perdita is back and is in pretty bad shape, buddy. She-"

"She is back?" That got his head up, though he only stared at Gregor with dark eyes. "Here? Is she-"

"She's in the war room. She's, uh, asking for you," Gregor said then. It wasn't a total lie. She had asked for Mareth and Barrett. Technically. "She's injured and-"

"I have to go." Mareth turned then, to look at the woman, who was glaring at Gregor then, knowing that he had just ruined her plans for the evening. Still, Mareth did kiss her goodbye before standing, struggling at first due to his drunkenness and prosthetic. Still, he was able to eventually find his balance and head out of the mess hall, Gregor right behind.

Mareth did not even take time to ask Gregor exactly what was wrong with Perdita or any of the news that she came bearing. Instead, he just rushed to the war room, not speaking at all until he got there.

The first thing he did was rush over to Perdita, almost stumbling in his haste. She frowned at him as he came to a stop in front of her, but it was not until he reached out to grab her shoulders in his hands that she turned away.

"Mareth-"

"Are you okay?"

"I- Stop it."

He had taken hold of her face then, staring down at her with concerned eyes. "Are you-"

"Let me go." She shoved him with her uninjured hand and, as he was so inebriated, he stumbled back some as he released her, though he only continued to stare at her.

"What did you tell him?" Luxa asked, frowning at Gregor as he came to stand next to her.

"Just that she was injured and requested him."

Perdita, hearing that, sent Gregor a look before saying to Mareth, "I have only broken my arm. Calm yourself."

Mareth looked hurt that she did not want his help and only stood there then, still looking pretty down right upset.

"You did not want me?"

"I wished for you all," she said before glancing at Gregor. "Where is Barrett?"

"I got him too, but he was with some…friends."

"Your arm?" Mareth was still stuck up on the fact that Perdita was hurt. "How?"

"I fell, Mareth. It is fine. I-"

"You have bruises then?"

"Well, of course I have bruises, but-"

"And cuts?"

"Mareth-"

"I told you not to go." He took a step towards her again. "When did you get here?"

"An hour or so ago," she said before looking to Luxa. "We can start without Bar-"

"How did you fall?" Mareth asked then making her frown.

"Do not cut me off, Mareth. I-"

"You were in charge of the mission. You should not have been-"

"Mareth, enough." Perdita was blushing by that point and Gregor felt bad, as he was responsible for Mareth's behavior. At least partially. "I am not that injured. It is just a broken arm. It will heal soon enough. Now-"

"You should be resting, if you just got back," Mareth reasoned then before looking to Luxa. She was still watching the door, awaiting Barrett however. "Perdita is going to go home and-"

"No, Mareth, I am not. I am about to send you home, however, and just speak to the Queen without any generals at all."

"What did I do?" Gregor asked.

"Not what I asked," Luxa remarked. "Less Barrett would be here by now."

Frowning, he said to her then, "I couldn't very well have dragged him here, Luxa."

"At least take a seat," Mareth went on then, laying a hand on Perdita's shoulder. She just shrugged him off however. "Perdita-"

"Go back and finish drinking, Mareth, if you are going to be-"

"If I am going to be what? Helpful? I am trying to help you, Perdita."

"Oh? And what were you doing before you came here?"

"…Drinking."

"Is that all?"

"Is my life in question then? What of yours? You went out and nearly got yourself killed-"

"Broken arm, Mareth. Not a lost leg."

His eyes darkened. "You-"

"Enough now. Stand apart from each other if you must, as like children." Luxa shook her head as she finally turned to face the table once more. "Perdita, begin marking out where those other gnawer packs were that you discovered. Do you have a scroll then or something that you kept track of?"

"Oh." She reached into her pocket then with her free hand, pulling out a piece of parchment. When she unfolded it, it proved to be a map of the Dead Lands. "I have taken careful documentation while I was there. As I was not able to locate the Reclaimer, I thought I should at least come back with something."

"You came back with a broken arm," Mareth grumbled softly. "That is more than something."

Ignoring him, Perdita handed the map off to Luxa. Then she spoke to Gregor. "What was it that you were getting at before, Overlander? In the hospital?"

"Hospital visits are not nothing," Mareth added then. Again, he was ignored.

"Nerissa informed me a few days back now that she had a vision of Luxa and I speaking of someone being back from the dead. Then, she sprung on me today that she believes that it in accordance with the Prophecy of the Living Dead or something of that-"

"Nonsense." Luxa was staring down at the map then, moving around markers to match what Perdita had given her. "My cousin is very ill and very intoxicated on herbs most of the time. She knows not what she speaks of. Ignore her."

Gregor frowned slightly. "Luxa, why is it so unbelievable that we are under that prophecy instead of the one you think we are? Aren't both just as likely?"

"No."

"Luxa-"

"Perhaps we are not under any prophecy," Perdita suggest. "The only reason we thought we were was because the gnawers were speaking of the Reclaimer. Whoever he is, he appears to have vanished now, yes? So-"

"If we are not under a prophecy and we are not at war, then can this meeting not end now? Can I take you home now?"

Perdita made a face, glancing at Mareth. "I am very capable of getting on home on my own, Mareth. If I was headed there."

"Where else would you-"

"I must stay here and lay out all of the markers and-"

"You are injured," he reasoned. "You cannot do that. You-"

"Solovet would-"

"If you bring up that woman one more time, Perdita, I will-"

"Enough." Luxa sighed, glancing up at the two of them. "Perhaps you should leave, Mareth. You only appear to have a one track mind tonight and it is not in line with anything that I wish to have discussed here. You and Perdita are friends, fine, but the health of Regalia comes above her own. Goodnight."

Mareth did not want to go and it was obvious. Still, Perdita only ignored him after that and Luxa's stare made it very clear that when she dismissed him, she meant it. He was hardly out of the room when Luxa spoke to Gregor.

"Go with him, Overlander."

"Me?"

"You," she said. "You are the one that got him so worked up."

"It was the only way to get him to come here. He was far more concerned with-"

"Leave him be, Gregor," Perdita said then. "He is sulking. He will go back to the mess hall, fall asleep there, and someone else will have to escort him home. It is not your problem."

He nodded slightly then while Luxa only rolled her eyes slightly.

"What took place here while I was gone?" Perdita asked then. "Did you get any other messages from someone else?"

"No," Luxa told her then with a shake of her head. "No word at all. Not really. The only thing of interest in that York and Susannah have come from the Fount."

"Hmmm." Perdita only stared down at the map. "I have not found that I rather like York, after the way he dealt with the banished."

Gregor frowned, glancing at her face then. Still, it was as impassive as Perdita ever kept it.

"He and I have long made up over that," Luxa remarked. "You shall not let this show while he is here. You shall be cordial to him, if not downright thankful. He is a governor and you shall show gratitude for that."

Perdita nodded at her then, as Gregor had no doubt she had even meant to say anything to begin with. It probably had just slipped out.

"Besides, York is not only here for me or for the realm." Luxa grinned slightly then. "He is here for Stellovet."

"What about her?" Gregor asked. He had heard nothing of this and it did interest him slightly.

"She is to be married off soon enough. It has been in the works for a year, at least, if not more. York is coming to finalize with the man today."

"This brings you joy?" Gregor asked. "If the man lives here, that means that she will be here. You do realize this, yes?"

That caused Luxa some hesitance before she just shrugged. "She will not spend much time in the palace. The man is a high ranking soldier. Much her senior. I am sure that she will not leave her home very often."

Perdita shook her head then. "Men are disgusting."

Gregor frowned when he realized what Luxa was implying. "That is your cousin, you know."

"Believe me, I know," Luxa said then, shaking her head slightly. "She was offered to Mareth as well."

Gregor had not heard of that and only frowned. "He said no?"

"Of course he said no," Perdita said then, frowning slightly. "He does not wish to be married. York is only trying to get her in with a general. I am surprised she was not offered to Barrett."

"Who says she was not?"

They all looked up then to find Barrett striding into the room, looking rather sour in that moment, his tone coming off that way as well.

"You are late," Luxa remarked then, frowning.

"And you are spreading useless gossip behind my back," he remarked. "Besides, she was offered to me and Luxa knows it. She advised me not to take the offer."

Gregor frowned, glancing at Luxa then. "You are not serious."

"I do not want her with one of my generals," Luxa defended, frowning right back at Gregor. "Then she would be here constantly, annoying me. York went with the next best option, which was a high ranking soldier that I have little interaction with. That is his purgative. I would not marry her off at all. I would kill her off, but then I would be considered a tyrant and I cannot have that, can I?"

Perdita only made a noise then before looking at Barrett. "Is there a reason for you being so late? Gregor says that he got you, but you were-"

"Mareth has not even shown up yet. I am not late."

"Mareth has come and went," Luxa said with a shrug of her shoulders. "He found he could not work in the drunken condition he was in. Tell us now if you are gong to turn out to be the same."

"Mareth is an old man. He still cannot hold is liquor?"

"Careful," Perdita warned then. "Mareth is only older than me by a year."

"And that single year holds all meaning," Barrett said then, bowing his head to her slightly before looking to Luxa. "Why was I summoned?'

"Had you been here before, you would know," she told him, her annoyance coming off in her tone. "Instead, you found a better use of your time."

He blinked. Then, slowly, he said, "I do not know what the Overlander told you, but-"

"It does not matter," she said with a shake of her head. "You are of no use now."

"The Reclaimer is not real," Gregor finally said, annoyed that they were all acting as if so much had happened. "The Living Dead, however, are-"

"Gregor." Luxa sent him a look. "I told you that we do not-"

"What prophecy is that?" Barrett asked. Gregor made a face.

"You do not know?"

"There are over a hundred prophecies, Gregor," Perdita told him then with a shake of her head. "Barrett was relatively lowborn. He would only know the more popularized ones, from when he was a child. I am sure it is not something that he has ever studied. He is a soldier, after all, not a scholar."

Barrett frowned at that before saying, "I am not sure if that was a compliment or an insult."

"Neither," Perdita said in her overly clinical tone. "I was much of the same way. It was Solovet that forced me to learn the prophecies. She-"

"I agree with Mareth. This obsession has gone on too long." Luxa glanced at Perdita then. "My grandmother is dead. She is nothing, but dirt now. Your constant insistence of bringing her up and comparing your actions to her own annoys me. If I wished to have another Solovet in power, I would. I do not."

Perdita looked embarrassed then, but quickly hid it beneath a mask of solitude as she turned back to stare at the map. "It is as you say."

"Of course it is." Luxa sighed then. "Barrett, if you wish to study up on the prophecies, be my guest. But I will not entertain the Overlander's fantasies about this specific one."

"Oh, so because I brought it up, it's obviously wrong?" Gregor snorted. "Whatever, Luxa."

She ignored him though as she took a step back from the table. "If that is all, Perdita, I must get going. It is rather late and I am not for certain where Alexander is. If you need nothing further-"

"I do not."

"-then I shall see you on the morrow. Come, Gregor."

He made a face, but did go ahead head out with her, more or less to keep Barrett from filling his place. Not before telling Perdita that he wished that she felt better though.

They found Zander asleep in his room and, as he was so peaceful, decided to just leave him there. Luxa took Gregor with her back to her own room, however.

"Now what?" he mumbled once they were both in bed.

"Hmmm?"

"Perdita could not locate the Reclaimer. Real or not, that can't be our out any longer. Why are we going to say we are rushing the marriage?"

She laid on her side, watching him as he rested on his stomach, eyes shut. "Just because we wish to be married. And no one will question me aloud. And if they do, what matter is it?"

"Mmmm." He shifted slightly. "I don't wanna be a king."

"I do not want you to be either."

He snorted then. "That's different, Luxa."

"How is it-"

"You do not want me to be for selfish reasons. You wanna be the only one in power."

"Well," she began, but had nowhere to go after that. There was no defense. What he said was true. She wanted to be the only one in power. Ever. Always.

"I don't wanna walk around with a stupid crown on my head and have to act all proper and shit."

"I think we are passed what you wish for, Gregor."

Moaning, he reached out blindly with one hand before find her and resting it against her stomach. Luxa only laid there for a moment before moving to lay a hand over his.

"Was all that that York said true?" he whispered then. "'bout your parents?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Mmmm. If it's any consolation, I'm glad that you were a girl."

"Gregor-"

"Well, I am. We would be in a very different situation otherwise."

She only sighed before pushing his hand off her and rolling onto her other side, no longer facing him. Peeking an eye open, Gregor reached out to wrap his arm back around her and pull her to him, so her back was against his side.

"You cannot possibly be comfortable like this," she grumbled, shifting in his hold.

"Long as I got you, I'm fine."

* * *

><p>York did not look well the next morning at breakfast. Gregor was certain that the man had long outgrown hangovers and figured he was more concerned with the fact that, according to Luxa, he would be meeting with Stellovet's prospect. Susannah though seemed much as she had since having arrived, though she was also clearly worried over Kent, who would be joining the military the next day, something that she was dead set against, Gregor was certain.<p>

Luxa ate that day, but not much. More than bread though, so that was a definite improvement. Zander was perched in her lap anyhow, ready to eat whatever she would not.

"Lucka," he giggled when she fed him a slice of some sort of fruit. Snuggling back against her, he looked around the table before smiling at Gregor. He only sighed, staring down at his plate. Hazard had not shown up for breakfast and Kent said he had not seen the other boy since after dinner the night before. It wasn't like Gregor didn't trust Hazard, but…well, he didn't trust Hazard.

"Have you made any improvements, Luxa?" Susannah finally asked, no doubt trying to get her mind off Kent. "With his speech?"

"Not really," she admitted as Zander reached out to grab something off her plate. "He comprehends better."

"Hardly," Gregor remarked, which got him a glare from Luxa.

After breakfast, Susannah went off to meet with a few people that she had not seen yet and York headed out to go meet with that general for his eldest daughter. As Hazard was nowhere to be found, that left Kent as Gregor and Luxa's problem. The boy clearly didn't want to be around either of them and it was obvious that Luxa didn't want him to come with them, but there really was nothing else for him to do.

"Come then, Kent," Luxa finally decided. "You can meet the head of the military. It is good for a young soldier to get a good grasp on who his superior is. "

After dropping Zander at the nursery, they headed to the war room, where Perdita was, just like always. She was still going over the map, running her findings against others as she mapped out the different sects of gnawers. Mareth was not with her for once, but Barrett was, no doubt trying to get in good after blowing it the night before.

"Good, you are both here," she said as she entered. They were both seated, though they quickly moved to stand. Luxa waved them off, however. "Remain seated. I care not. Believe me. I do not feel well myself."

Gregor went to pull out Luxa's chair for her, which only got him soft touch to the shoulder. Then she nodded at Kent to sit as well, though he was just staring at Perdita, standing in the same place he had been when he entered. Feeling his eyes on her, she frowned, looking up at him then.

"Yes?" she asked, staring at him. He only cleared his throat before he looked to Luxa though, who rolled her eyes.

"This is my cousin," she said, nodding at him. "Kent. He is York's youngest son."

Perdita blinked. "And?"

"And he wishes to join the military. He had nothing to do today, so I thought that-"

"You thought that you could bring him into a close meeting?"

"Oh, please, Perdita. He's only a boy," Luxa said with a shake of her head. "They are going to eat him alive, the others are, just for his father being York. And then the fact he is my cousin? They will say he is getting preferential treatment regardless. Might as well let him have some."

"Come on, Kent," Gregor said then, taking a seat on the other side of Luxa, where he normally was. "Sit down."

He looked back at Perdita before smiling slightly, if not awkwardly, but she only frowned at him before looking back at the map.

"How old are you?" Perdita asked him then, causing Kent to clear his throat again. Gregor made a face as the boy sat down at the table, taking in the way he sat up straight as a rod and continuing to stare at Perdita. Maybe he was just trying to get in good with her. If so, he should have asked for some pointers, because he was failing.

"E-Eighteen," Kent said, uncharacteristically stuttering. Perdita was not even looking at him then, but still shook her head.

"And you shall pass the physical portion of the entrance exam, yes?"

"I-I hope so."

"Oh, leave him alone, Perdita," Barrett said from his end of the table. "She is merely sour, boy. Do not take offense to it. She shall not be in a better mood until her precious Mareth shows up."

"You-"

"Do not start that again today," Luxa told them, frowning at them each in turn. "And when Mareth does show up, I shall tell him the same thing. I have enough going on. I do not wish to hear the three of you bicker on top of it all. Especially over something so juvenile."

It was silent for a good few minutes there, in which Gregor mostly focused on looking over the new placement of some of the markers. It was within those minutes though that a new person entered.

It was a messenger, who immediately went down to one knee in front of the table. Luxa only rolled her eyes before beckoning him to stand once more.

"What is it that you require?" Luxa asked, looking curiously at the things in his hand. They were stacks of scrolls.

"I-" he started, but Perdita cut him off.

"I had him round me up these things from the scroll room," she said, moving to stand. "Thank you. Set them down on the table."

He did so carefully, making sure that they did not roll around and bump into any of the markers. Perdita nodded at him then, dismissing the man.

"What are these, Perdita?" Luxa asked, frowning slightly.

She looked ready to answer Luxa before slowly shaking her head slightly. "Personal things."

Luxa blinked. Then she frowned and reached over to take one of the scrolls. When she saw what it was, she frowned. "Why are you hiding this from me? It is only a battle plan."

"Lux, if she didn't want you to look at it-" Gregor tried, but was cut off.

"It is an old record of a war," Luxa added before moving to grab another. "And so is this. Why would I be upset that you were studying up on old wars? Why- Perdita."

"It is just by chance that all of the battles I wished to look at were fought under Solovet."

Luxa only rolled her eyes. "Well, what do you need them for here?"

"Nothing," she said then. "I would have had them delivered to my home, but then I would have to go through the hassle of finding someone who knew where it was-"

"Well, you cannot carry them home," Luxa said, frowning. "Not with your broken arm."

"I will manage."

Sighing, Luxa looked to Gregor. "Will you-"

"Of course," he said, moving to stand. "Now if you would like, Perdita."

"N-No," she said, shaking her head slightly. "I do not wish for you-"

"I can do it!" Kent jumped up then. "Just tell me where. I-"

"N-"

"That is a great idea," Barrett spoke up once more. "Let the boy do you a favor, Perdita. He only wishes to impress you. Isn't that right, Trent?"

"Kent," the teen corrected, frowning over at Barrett. Then he smiled at Perdita again. "I can do it though."

"I would have to show you though and then it is a wasted endeavor. Honestly, I-"

"Oh, let him do it," Luxa said with a roll of her eyes. "Careful with them, Kent. And do not bother Perdita. She can ruin your career just as fast as I can."

Kent was rushing then, to go grab up all the scrolls in an attempt to appease the older woman. Perdita only groaned as she stood.

"If he must," she sighed as she went to walk out of the room with him. "Come then…Kent. Let me show you- Mareth."

She almost ran into him as he walked through the door, though he only smiled at her.

"Aye," he said, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder. A friendly gesture compared to how handsy he was the night before. "Where are you off to then?"

"I need to take these to my apartment," she said, nodding over at Kent, who was standing behind her, slowly beginning to let a scowl take place of his grin. "But I cannot carry them. Luxa's cousin was going to take them, as my arm is brok-"

"I can take them," Mareth said while Kent only glared. "For you. With you. I think wee need to discuss some things."

"Are you going to apologize?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Are you?"

"Come on." Mareth reached over to take the scrolls from Kent then without a second thought. "Let us walk together, yes?"

Perdita and Mareth left then, leaving Kent behind who only glared after them for a moment before skulking back over to the table. Barrett looked bemused then, but Gregor only shook his head.

"Get used to it, Trent," Barrett said then. "She'll always choose him over anybody."

"My name is Kent," he grumbled softly. "And who is Mareth anyways?"

"He's one of the generals," Luxa sighed. "Honestly, Kent, did you learn anything about the military? Other than fighting?"

"No. I've heard that name before, I guess. Father knows him, right?"

"I am sure you have had dinner with him before," Luxa said with a shake of her head. Then she looked to Gregor. "Do you have training tomorrow?"

"No," he said. "Though I was going to do some personal training. Why?"

"I want you to do something for me."

That made Barrett looked up, but Gregor only stared at Luxa.

"Anything."

"I want you to either take Aurora or Nike and go to the Dead Lands. I think I might have been able to pinpoint Ripred's location while you were gone."

"Gone?"

"Home," she corrected. "Another scroll came, a few days ago, while you were in the Overland. I-"

"You didn't say anything?"

Luxa shrugged. "I already had Perdita gone. Sending you out would have been too much. Now that she is back, mostly unharmed, it is your turn. Not to mention, Ripred is fonder of you than any other. Not that that is saying a lot, but it is saying enough."

"I will go now. I-"

"You shall not. You will go tomorrow, after York and Susannah have left. I want you suited up, in your armor."

"Luxa-"

"Armor, Gregor."

Sighing, he said, "You gonna polish it for me before?"

"Most certainly not," she told him with a frown. Kent glanced over at them before slumping down further in his seat. He clearly didn't care about impressing any of the people at the table then. "You will have a day to finish the mission. If you cannot locate him, just return home. Do not get yourself entangled in something, Gregor."

"Me? Get myself in entangled in something? Never."

"If you do not return in two days or send word, Barrett will come to rescue you." Luxa glanced over at him. "You do not want Barrett to have to come rescue you."

He only shook his head. "Why are you so insistent though, Lux? That I find Ripred? Or that someone finds him? I thought-"

"It is just better if I know if he is alive or not."

"He is not someone you would want showing up after their presumed death," Barrett remarked, to which Luxa nodded. And as much as he hated to admit it, Gregor honestly had to agree with him.


	9. Chapter 9

The Living Dead

Chapter 9

Gregor awoke the next morning to Luxa bolting up in bed, disturbing him. He only groaned, rolling onto his other side, thinking she was just nauseous again or something. Still, he managed to grunt out a, "What's wrong?"

She just sat there, though, breathing deeply. Groaning, he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"If you gotta puke, just go puke. Breathing deeply won't make it go away."

She didn't look at him though, only sat there for a moment before slowly moving to lay back down. "I do not have to…_puke,_" she told him, the word sounding as odd on her tongue as most. "I had a dream, is all."

He grunted again. She had bad dreams all the time. He did too. They did deal with high stress situations constantly.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked, his voice still thick with sleep. He had to be up in a few hours, preparing for his journey. He really just wanted to sleep. "Lux?"

"No. I want…I want Zander."

He frowned. "Was it about Zander?"

She only moved to push up out of the bed, which made him sigh and reach behind her, grabbing her arm.

"Stay," he grumbled before moving to get up as well. "I'll get him, huh?"

"I-"

"Calm down." He finally got out of the bed. "Just stay. Be right back."

"Greg-"

"Are you afraid of the dark?"

"No," she told him, frowning.

"Then stay. I'll go get him and be right back. Promise."

She shifted on the bed, curling up. "I just…I would calm down if I could drink."

"Well, you can't, so get over it."

With that, he left the room, heading off to get Zander from his. The little boy was just sleeping, all of his stuffed animals snuggled up on his bed with him. Gregor just grabbed him and the tiger before heading back to Luxa's bedchamber.

He ran into someone in the hall, however.

"What are you doing up, Hazard?"

The boy just kept walking down the hall, hardly paying him any mind. "I was working on a business deal."

"A business deal? What? It's the middle of the night. Where were you?"

Hazard ignored him, only heading into his old bedroom. Groaning, Gregor went to drop Zander off with Luxa, who readily accepted him and the stuffed tiger, before going to find out what the boy was up to.

"Hazard," Gregor began as he headed into the boy's room. "What were you doing?"

He was already laying in bed and only glanced up at Gregor. "What are you talking about? I told you that I had a business deal to attend to."

"And what sort of deal would that be?"

He only smiled at Gregor. "I found better use of my talents of persuasion."

"Meaning?"

"I cannot talk to women well," Hazard said. "But while I was in the Fount, Kent and I spent a lot of time trying. And I realized something."

"Which would be?"

He only grinned up at Gregor. "I cannot talk to women, because I am better at dealing with males."

Gregor blinked. Then he sighed. "Hazard, I think this is something that you and Luxa should-"

"Which is why I shall be good at owning the women."

That got another blinked. "What?"

"I am going to help run a brothel. On the East Wall."

That one didn't even get a blink. Instead, Gregor just stared at him. "You what?"

"Aye. I have spoken with one of the owners. And Luxa shall be pleased, because I will be here in the capital with her. Then, during the day and at night too, I suppose, I can go run the brothel. Eventually open my own. It shall be a very good way to meet women. And powerful men. Not to mention the money."

Deciding to take things one step at a time, Gregor slowly began. "To start with, Hazard, you don't own women."

"But-"

"You don't. No one owns another human being. Ever. So do not say that again."

"I-"

"Secondly, you are not going to be a…pimp or whatever the hell you call it down here. You're just not."

"You cannot tell me-"

"And lastly, if Luxa finds out about this, I'm going to get hell for it because I'm the one that let you…go that first time. And York is going to get hell because she'll think that he encouraged you in this. So you go back to your little pipe dream about fruit and-"

"You can't tell me what to do, Gregor! You're not my father. You-"

"Oh, I can tell you what you are and what you aren't going to do, Hazard. You are not going to-"

"So it is okay for me to have sex with whores, but not own them?"

"For the last time, you do not own another person, Hazard. Ever. I mean it."

"I will too own them! I will control what they-"

"No, you won't. Number one because you're not going to work at a brothel, number two- And who the hell even approached you about this? Huh?"

He shrugged slightly, looking off. "I met some men in the Fount that have connections here. One of the men that owns one was there and offered me a chance to learn to run it. It is a lot of hard work, after all, making sure that the women-"

"Hazard, I do not want to talk about this," he said, shaking his head. "I'm going to bed. And in the morning, you're going to go tell this guy that you can't work for him and then you're going to work on your juggling and go back to the fruit stand shit, alright?"

"You're not my boss, Gregor!"

Leaving him behind then, Gregor went back to Luxa's room, where he found her and Zander snuggled up in bed. The boy was sleeping still, but she was up, awaiting him.

"What was Hazard doing?" Luxa asked, as he had mentioned to her that was what he was going to check out. "Up so late?"

"Nothing."

"Gregor-"

"Are you better now?" He collapsed back into his spot on the bed, pulling her into his arms. Zander, who was snuggled up on top of her, didn't stir in the slightest. "About your dream? Now that you know Zander is safe?"

She just kissed the boy's head, shaking her own slightly. "I dreamt that…that he was older and that he…that those prophecies-"

"Shhh." He snuggled her neck, sighing slightly. "He loves us, Luxa. We saved him. We're going to be his parents. We are his parents. He won't ever hate us."

She shifted against him. "Hazard hates me."

"Luxa-"

"I did everything for Hazard and he hates me. I did everything for Henry and he betrayed me. Why is it so far off that Zander will-"

"I love you," he pointed out then. "Don't I count for anything?"

She only sighed. "I am not overly caring towards you. Or even caring at all for the most part."

He knew she was pausing for him to disagree, but honestly? He had no disagreement in that statement. At all.

"But I love Hazard. And I tried very hard to make him love me. Perhaps I am just not…a loveable person?"

"I just said that I love you."

"You love being degraded constantly."

"God, Luxa, you sure are pretty self-aware today."

"Gregor-"

"Zander's going to love us as much as we love him. He has to. There's no way that he won't. And those prophecies are bullshit. You know that they are." He kissed her neck then. "It was just a dream."

"It was very real though."

"The worst of them always are."

Zander made a noise then, pushing away from Luxa as the sound of their voices awoke him. She moved to lay him down on the bed, where he immediately curled up, one thumb finding its way into his mouth. Usually Luxa would have stopped him from doing that, but for once she just laid there, not saying anything.

After awhile, Gregor started to drift off again. He felt Luxa stir in his arms a few times and eventually he let her go, rolling onto his other side once more. Other than that though, he slept straight through the next few hours.

Zander woke him bright and early though, whining about having to go to the bathroom or something. He was potty trained for the most part, which Gregor was more than glad for. He just wished the boy had better timing.

After that he was up and couldn't go back to sleep, so he went ahead and began getting ready for the day. Luxa complained of feeling sick again and, though he had his reservations about whether or not she was just faking it for the sake of not having to get Zander ready, he went ahead and let her stay in bed for awhile longer. She had been pretty stressed most the night, after all.

Susannah looked downright depressed at breakfast that morning, while York was back to his jovial self. He was clearly excited about Kent's new adventure, while Susannah's eyes were red and it was obvious she had spent some time crying. And really, Gregor couldn't blame her. She had lost her mother, sister, and brother all to war, after all. In a roundabout way, the military had ruined her entire life. Other than York. Gregor figured she considered York one of the good things in her life. For the most part.

Kent was clearly excited for the rest of events of that day and Gregor didn't have to heart to break it to him that it would not be nearly as fun as he was certain York and others had made it out to be. Kent would be the low man on the totem pole. Not to mention being such a highborn automatically made him a target. The poor guy really didn't know what he was getting himself into.

York kept making jokes all through breakfast and it made him seem more like his normal self. Luxa eventually showed up, though she only ate some bread and drank a glass of water. Zander was most happy when Hazard arrived, honestly, though he and Gregor did have a miniature glaring match going on there for awhile.

"What are you plans for the day then, Overlander? Care to go sparring with me? Eh?" York asked, grinning at him while absently reaching over to rub Susannah's arm. She looked like she was about to start crying again and clearly didn't wish to be touched by him, but York never did seem to realize when he was being a nuisance to his wife.

"Luxa has me going off on a mission."

"A mission," York laughed, as if this was a wonderful tale in the making. Gregor sure hoped not. He really hadn't recovered from their last misadventure in the Uncharted Lands. "That's great. It shall give us something to talk about next time we see each other."

Susannah glared at York then, no doubt angry that he was in such an upbeat mood. As if in an attempt to ruin it, she said, "I think that there shall be more than enough to talk about when that time arises, York."

Luxa frowned over at her aunt for that, but Hazard and Kent both started laughing. York immediately shut that down with only a look. Gregor only sighed, picking at his food some more.

"You should eat more, Luxa," Susannah finally said, taking in a deep breath then. "You need to gain some weight, for your own health and also the child. If you want to carry it to term. I know that you do not feel well, but tough. You are going to have to get over it. The child cannot suffer because you do not feel up to caring for yourself."

That was it for Luxa. She immediately pushed out of her seat and walked off, leaving them all behind. Gregor sighed, rolling his eyes, but saying nothing. York only frowned at his wife.

"Susannah-"

"It is the truth, York. And if no one else is going to say something, I must. I am the only one left in her family. It is my job to make sure she is taken care of it. It is what Judith would-"

"Judith did not care for you and she certainly would not have cared about this child." York rose from his seat then as well. "If you do not wish to spar with me, Overlander, then I shall go find someone who will, yes? I just must locate Rhea first."

He kissed Susannah's head before he left, but she clearly was still upset with him. York only squeezed her shoulder and patted Kent on the head before heading off. Then it was back to Gregor glaring down Hazard.

"Lucka," Zander called out from his own seat, where he had whined to sit in that day. Sometimes sitting in someone's lap made him wiggle and whine. "Lucka?"

"Here. I must go check on her anyways." Susannah moved to get Zander out of his seat, setting him down on the ground. He took off then, no doubt after Luxa while Susannah followed at a slower pace. Gregor didn't really care if Susannah had Zander or not. She had her own children, a lot of them, and they were relatively okay. For the most part.

…Well, Howard was cool. And Hero and Kent were tolerable.

Gregor left then, not even saying anything to Hazard. He was beyond over Hazard in that moment and just wanted to get into the Dead Lands. Whether or not he found Ripred wasn't really an issue; just getting out of the capital was good for Gregor.

He headed off to Nerissa's room, as if he was leaving the capital, he wanted her to know. She was there, of course she was there, laying in bed, but awake. She was most happy to see him, especially when he pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Gregor," she said excitedly. "When I heard someone enter, I feared it to be the nurse with my medicine. I am most happy to find it to be you."

"Yeah, well," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm heading out today for the Dead Lands, so you won't see me for a few days. Susannah and York are going to be gone too. So if you need something' it's back to relying on Luxa. I think that Hazard's staying in Regalia as well though I don't know for how long."

"Hmmm. Long are the days that there were so many filtering around," she remarked. "I would not mind if a few of my family members were possibly the Living Dead."

"W-What? Nerissa-"

She only giggled before grinning at him. "I know that they would be evil, that you would have to kill them, but wouldn't it be wonderful? Wouldn't it be great? If I could see my mother and father again? Or my brother? …Though he was already evil, I suppose, so I wouldn't really have to adjust to that one."

"Nerissa-"

"Of course, I could also do to see Vikus again. Or Lennox. Not Solovet though. She would be much the same as Henry. Evil. Not good. No change."

Gregor only shook his head. "Anyone ever tell you that you're psychotic?"

She only continued to grin at him. "It is a silly fantasy, I know. But it is hard to realize that Luxa is all I have left. The only blood. And even she does not wish for me to be around at times."

"That's not true," Gregor told her with a frown. "Luxa's just got a lot going on right now."

Nerissa only shook her head. "I do not blame her. I am quite the considerable amount of baggage."

"Well," he started, trying to think of something that would cheer her up. "Luxa and my baby will be blood to you, right? A little. So don't think about it so much. And you know that Howard and I would do anything for you, huh? And York and Susannah, they wanted you to come live with them."

"What?"

He nodded slightly. "Once, Susannah told me that she would rather that you and Vikus come stay in the Fount. That it would be far less stressful. And then at Vikus' funeral, she mentioned it to Luxa, who got very angry, but said she'd extend the offer to you. Has she never mentioned it?"

Nerissa only stared at him for a moment before shaking her head slowly. "No."

"Well," he began again, frowning slightly. "I'm sure that she just doesn't want you to leave the palace. You're her last line of blood too, you know, that connects her to her father. That certainly means something, I am sure."

Nerissa made a noise then, softly, thinking. She seemed better in that moment, more clear, but Gregor knew it was just because her morning medication had not come yet. He was certain that she'd be back to her normal crazy self when it did arrive.

"Why are you going to the Dead Lands, Overlander?" she asked after a few moments of silence. "Is Perdita-"

"She is home now," he assured her. "She is fine. Just a broken arm. I'm going for another reason."

"Being?"

He sighed slightly before saying, "Your cousin is fearful of that Ripred is dead and wishes for me to investigate."

"The peacemaker is not dead," she said slowly. "He is alive."

"Why doe you think that?"

"Because he just is, Gregor," she said, turning to look at him then. "He has to be. It would not be fitting, for one such as himself to be killed without some sort of dramatic final battle. It is very anticlimactic. Like if you dropped dead of a brain aneurism. It would not be fitting. And people such as you and Ripred deserve fitting deaths."

"Oh yeah?" He leaned forwards then, resting his elbows against his thighs as he stared at her. "What sort of death would fit me then, Nerissa?"

"Being killed during battle. Before the birth of your child."

He blinked. Then, slowly, he said, "Why before-"

"It would set up for another prophecy," she said then. "There is a certain prophecy of a prince whose father is killed in battle. It is hinted it is before his birth. Every prince ever has wished it to be him, but it never is. Should it be your son, it would be most fantastical. Such a plotline, yes?"

He only sighed, staring at her. "You know, Nerissa, sometimes I think that you don't really believe in these prophecies either. That you just like them because they entertain you."

"They are most entertaining," she admitted with a nod of her head. "They are what are told to children, for bedtime stories. When you think of how many times Luxa heard the story of the night her parents were killed without knowing it was about them, why, it's almost too much to bear. That was a fine prophecy. My mother would have been thrilled to know that she was a part of one. Though of course, had she known it was that specific one, well, that would have only caused problems, yes?"

Continuing to stare at her, he slowly said, "You know, Nerissa, I think it's almost unhealthy. Your obsession with prophecies. Maybe-"

"They are all I have."

"What?"

"If I did not have them, what would I do with my life? My name is not credible. Even my own family did not have faith in me. No, they are all that I am good for. Studying them and passing on my knowledge to those who need it." She shifted on her bed then. "I have no friends, Gregor, other than you. I do not have a life outside of the prophecy room. I-"

"Maybe you could help someone for me?" he asked then, slowly, if only to keep her from sounding so depressed in that moment. "For someone that Luxa…cares about?"

"Most anything. If I am able to, that is."

He nodded his head slightly then. "See, the thing that I need your help with is one of the generals."

"Mareth?"

Shaking his head, he said, "Barrett."

"Gregor," she scolded lightly before brightening. "What are we going to do to him? I am not sure how I can be any help, but I most certainly-"

"I don't want to harm him, Nerissa," Gregor complained, making a face.

"Oh." She settled back into her bed. "Then what is the problem?"

"He does not know prophecies well. And he wishes to. If I could set up a meeting between the two of you, say, weekly, do you think that you would be able to-"

"Oh, most certainly!" She looked rather happy in that moment, for which Gregor was glad. "I would love to. I very much so enjoy teaching people things. Like Hazard. I taught him about the prophecies. The ones that kept his interest, at least. And I will teach Zander, when he can understand words better. I-"

"That's great, Nerissa." Gregor stood then, moving to pat her on the arm. "I have go now though. I'll set up the meeting with Barrett and everything, alright? And then tell you?"

"Of course."

"I'll see you when I get back then, alright?"

She only grinned at him then. "So long as you don't die first."

Again with the blinking. Then, slowly, he nodded his head. "Yeah, so long as I don't die first."

* * *

><p>When Gregor went into the war room, it was with the intent of finding Luxa. He knew that she said that he was not to leave until after York and Susannah, but he was honestly bored at that point and wanted nothing more than to hurry the trip along. Instead though, he found Perdita, once again accompanied by Kent.<p>

She was busy writing things down on a scroll as he sat idly by, watching her. Gregor could tell that Perdita was annoyed by his presence. He was sitting right next to her, staring at the scroll she was writing on, while she kept giving him side glances that showed her perturbed attitude.

Upon Gregor entering the room, she immediately spoke to him, clearly glad to find another person around.

"General," she greeted, smiling brightly at the sight of him. "Have you seen the Queen? Her cousin here came looking for her. He thought he would stay until she showed up, but if you know where-"

"Hey, Kent? I thought you were going to be joining the military today?" Gregor asked, frowning slightly. "Shouldn't you be taking care of that?"

"I have to be sworn in later, after luncheon," he said, shrugging slightly.

"Well, shouldn't you spend some time with your mother and father then? Because they take off?"

He snorted. "I'm not a child. I do not need them."

"Your mother is really broken up about it though," Gregor went on as Perdita gave him pleading eyes, clearly wishing to get rid of him. "You should go spend some time with her, huh?"

"Mmmm…no," Kent said, shaking his head. "I think that I am needed here."

Perdita sighed then, rather loudly, but Kent was still all smiles. He clearly didn't realize the discomfort he was causing.

"I haven't seen Luxa either," Gregor said finally. "I, uh, will wait here too. Is that okay, Perdita?"

It was not the solution she wanted, but it did keep her from being along with Kent.

"That shall be fine, if you so wish," she said, nodding her head. It was a compromise, at least. "I am merely writing a note to one of the-"

"Is there a meeting going on then?"

Suddenly, Barrett appeared behind Gregor, pushing into the room. Perdita only sighed.

"Have you seen Luxa then?" she asked him to which he shook his head.

"Why? Is there not a meeting? I heard voices when I passed and thought that I was missing something again."

"No," Kent said quickly then, frowning at both he and Gregor. "Perhaps the two of you should go look for my cousin. She-"

"Ah. Trent." Barrett smiled over at the boy. "Helping Perdita out again I see."

"No," Perdita said while Kent only grumbled about his name.

"Why," Barrett went on. "It is almost as if you are her assistant. She more or less needs one. It is her dominant hand that is broken, you know. You will need help, Perdita, if you are to carry on as normal."

"I do not need-"

"Not to mention," he went on, knowing where to hit her. "Were you not like Solovet's assistant? Remember? That is what I hear. That she plucked you out of obscurity as a soldier and made you a general just because you were so dedicated to her. I am certain that Kent can be much of the same."

The Solovet card made her pause momentarily. Long enough for Kent to speak up.

"That would be great," Kent said then, smiling at Perdita. "I can help you do all sorts of things. I can even fight for you, if you want. Like your own personal guard. And-"

"Kent, take a breath," Gregor sighed. "And I don't think that Perdita-"

"Nonsense. She needs someone. And since Mareth is turning out to be as much of a drunk as me, why not let the boy help her out some times?"

"Barrett," Gregor mumbled to him. "What are you-"

"I can do anything you want me to," Kent said then, staring at Perdita. She was still stuck up on the Solovet comment, however. "Anything. Any-"

"Okay, Kent, she gets it," Gregor said, sighing. "Let Perdita-"

"Solovet did help me," Perdita mumbled slightly then. "She chose me because I…and she was… You are her grandson. It would almost as if I were helping her now, yes?"

"If it helps, Solovet always thought of me like Hamnet. And I am told she loved him very much."

Gregor sent Kent a look. "In what way are you like Hamnet?"

"I am the male twin. That makes me-"

"That does not-"

"You can be my assistant," Perdita said then, slowly. "Can you write and read?"

"Yes. Who doesn't know how to write and read?"

She glanced at him. "Solovet taught me to write. I could read, but-"

"Someone tell me that she is not talking about the dead again?"

Once again, someone else entered the room. It was Luxa, of course, as she went to go lay a hand on Gregor's arm while staring at Perdita.

"Even Solovet did not speak of her own self this much. And she was the vainest woman I've ever known." Luxa shook her head at Perdita "What were you speak of anyways?"

"I-"

"Perdita has decided that I am going to be her very person assistant," Kent said then, nodding his head at his cousin.

"Very?" Gregor mumbled. "What does very imply?"

Barrett only grinned before saying, "I think we all know what that means."

The blush that Perdita got then was probably the worst Gregor had ever seen. Her thoughts of Solovet were gone as she suddenly thought of what it would look like for her to take a young boy under her mentorship. Luxa only sent Barrett a look before speaking again.

"It is only until your arm is healed, yes?" Luxa asked Perdita then. "And once that is over, he can start his career as a solider? His father will not have it any other way."

"Soldier. Yes. Yes, he will most definitely be a soldier," Perdita said, nodding her head. She was clearly still apprehensive about the whole thing. "This will only be for a few weeks. A month or so at most."

"See, Trent? Gregor here thinks I ruin lives, but I would argue I have just made one."

"Kent," the teen growled at Barrett, who only looked to Luxa.

"When are York and Susannah leaving then? So I can know when the Overlander leaves?"

"Why would you need to know that?" Luxa asked as Gregor glared at him, knowing he was setting up for a rude comment or joke.

"So I can estimate how long before I have to go off to save him."

Perdita's sigh stopped them all from speaking then as she stood up. Nodding at the scroll, she said to Kent, "Toss that. My handwriting is horrid with my left hand. Now that you are here, you can write whatever I tell you to, yes?"

"Anything you say," he agreed, jumping up as well. "You just tell me what to write and I shall do it. Are we going somewhere though?"

"Aye," she sighed, heading out of the room then. "I need to speak with someone first and then we will rewrite it, yes?"

Kent was quick to follow along Perdita, which only made Barrett grin. Luxa seemed indifferent, but Gregor was annoyed. The second Perdita was gone, he spoke.

"Why would you do that, Barrett?" Gregor asked then. "You could clearly tell that she was not comfortable with the way he's acting towards her. And yet you-"

"Perdita and her precious Mareth have been trying to ruin me since the banished problem. Especially when I left him in that dungeon after freeing you." Barrett snorted, no longer smiling. He had clearly only been acting so jolly as an attempt to get Perdita riled up. "That boy clearly…enjoys Perdita. Though I do not know why."

"But-"

"And tell me, what do you think Mareth will do when he notices this?" Barrett laughed then. "They call me stupid and yet I am smarter than both of them combined."

Luxa only sighed, rolling her eyes. "It will at least keep my aunt content for a month."

Gregor only shook his head. "That was wrong, Barrett. Perdita-"

"They do me wrong constantly. They would ruin my entire career if they were able to. Giving her a little boy to play with is actually rather nice of me. Maybe it'll make her less tense."

Making a face at the insinuation, Luxa said simply, "I believe you forget at times who I am, Barrett."

"Never," he said before bowing to her. "I only speak in jest. The boy only wishes to impress her, so that she will be quick to raise his rank, I am certain. Besides, what would he want with Perdita anyways?"

"Hn." Luxa looked to Gregor then. "Have you decided on Aurora or Nike?"

"Nike. I spoke with her before and she-"

"Good. Be ready in-"

"Lux, can I just go now?"

"What?"

He moved closer to her as Barrett pretended to be preoccupied with something else, over at the table.

"I do not need to see Susannah and York off, do I? I mean-"

"Why do you wish to go now?"

"Why not? I'm bored, Luxa. I want to go do something. And I'm sure Nike is ready to go as well."

She stared hard at him for a second before sighing. "Come then. I shall help you into your armor."

That made him pause, but Luxa just continued on out of the room, as if that was the most normal thing in the world. Barrett glanced at them over his shoulder, but Gregor didn't take a moment to look back. He just followed right behind Luxa to his bedroom.

She did exactly what she said she would too. She literally helped him put on his armor. He knew from other soldiers that sometimes their wives would help them dress and undress, making sure to snap on the chest plate and such, but the idea of Luxa helping him out was foreign.

Still, she was gentle as she helped him. It was almost sensual, the way she was taking care to get all of his armor on. She kissed him multiple times, as well as stroked his arms and chest. He only let her do as she pleased, slightly in shock and also slightly turned on.

"You're being nice," he mumbled to her at one point.

"You get upset when I am not loving. You are rude when I am. I would love to know what middle ground you want for me to meet."

"Just confused, is all."

She paused then before saying, "The last time that I sent you off to the Dead Lands on a white flier to meet gnawers, you nearly did not come back to me."

It was his turn to kiss her. "The last time was very different. Nike is striped, I'm going to a different part of the Dead Lands, and Ripred isn't a gnawer. Ripred isn't even a normal being. He's passed a gnawer. He's passed a human. He's just a thing."

"Just come back to me," she finally said. "That's all I want."

"Always." He cupped her face in his hands for a moment before removing one and pressing it against her stomach gently. "Always."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

><p>"Is your armor not uncomfortable? Or have you grown used to it? I know that you usually don't care for it."<p>

"Luxa insisted upon it," Gregor sighed. "She is fearful of me being killed all of a sudden. Her. The one that sent me off to live with the banished."

"Things have changed," Nike said simply as they flew through the air. "Now. Aurora told me of… And now Luxa only wishes to protect you as the father of her child. It is different now."

Gregor leaned forwards slightly on her back, sighing slightly. "What about you then?"

"What about me?"

"How do you feel about going into the Dead Lands once more? After what happened before?"

Nike was silent for a moment or two before saying, "I am to be the Queen after my mother passes. I will lose my chance at adventures like these then. As Luxa has. She never gets to do anything interesting anymore. And I will get to do even less than her. I cannot hide in Regalia forever, or behind my mother. I must stand on my own. Build my character. I wish to be a strong queen, with many experiences behind me. With the plague, banished, and Prophecy of Time already under my belt, I feel as if there is little else that can shake me."

He paused at that before slowly asking, "Hey, Nike? Can I ask you something? That might sound sort of…well, weird?"

"We are friends, Gregor," was her only answer.

"…Whatever happened to your father?"

That made Nike laugh. Huh-huh-huh.

"We are not as the humans, Overlander. We think it is silly, how they live."

"What do you mean?"

"There are no such things as bastards," she told him then. "If Luxa is the queen, any child she has is of royal birth. Any child a king fathers is of royal birth. If you wish to remain committed to one person, that is fine. If not, that is also fine. It is your life. And it is very short. Why mate for life when that only makes so many miserable?"

He leaned forwards some more, sighing slightly. "Then you don't know who he was?"

"I knew him. He died when I was young. I never rather liked him." Nike paused for a moment before saying, "You are going to be the King then, Gregor?"

"It's looking that way, yeah."

"Hmmm."

"I do not even know how to be a king," he mumbled then. "Or what the ceremony entails."

"You were at Luxa's crowning, were you not?"

"Yes, of course, but I meant the marriage ceremony. I have never been invited to an actual wedding. I've been to some parties afterwards, the receptions, but-"

"You must hold your hand over an open flame and repeated the long lost words of Sandwich."

"What?"

She laughed again. "I am kidding. Of course it is much like your ceremony, Gregor, I am sure. You just say some vows, commitment vows, and agree to join your lives together. Then, as you are marrying into royalty, you shall go through your coronation right after.

"It is usually done in the throne room, both parts, as everyone comes to see such a thing. However, I am sure Luxa will wish for the wedding to take place privately first, as not to cause too much controversy. Your crowning must happen in the throne room, however, else too much suspicion will be raised."

"Hmmm." Gregor thought for a moment before saying, "Rings are not custom here."

"Not frequently. The lowborn would never waste coins on such a thing. Is it custom for you?"

"In the Overland? Oh, yeah. Big freaking deal," he said, nodding his head. "You have to get diamonds, which cost a ton. And that's just for an engagement ring."

"It is my understanding that it was a thing in the Underland for the humans as well, for a short time. I am sure the tradition just died out. It seems rather foolish. As if you are showing ownership."

"God, please don't tell that to Luxa," Gregor sighed. "Then I'll have to hear about how I don't own her and all that crap. Ugh."

"Are you going to get her one then?"

"No. I don't know. Maybe. She has so much jewelry as it is. I do not see it as being that special to her. Just waste me money."

"You will be funded by the Regalian bank now, Overlander," Nike reminded him. "Your wage will mean nothing. You could completely run them dry of money. You won't, of course, but you could." She laughed again. "And with your gambling addiction, I am sure this will please you."

He only shook his head. "I'm going to have to give up my job as general, aren't I?"

"You will not need it any longer. You will control the generals. That one you do not like, Barrett? You can do as you wish to him."

"No, I can't. Luxa would never let me touch him." Gregor frowned at the way that sounded. "You don't think that she would ever…cheat on me, do you?"

"Hmmm." Nike did not answer immediately which only lowered Gregor's mood. "I think that the two of you have had more stale periods than most and she has not. So-"

"How do I know though? There's been times when she's completely hated me. How do I even know that this is my kid?"

"…Why do you insist on having serious conversations with me when I merely wished to talk about fanciful things? Like your wedding? And the cake at your wedding? And…no, mostly the cake at the wedding?"

That made him smile slightly as he patted her head. It was so dark, as he traveled with no torch, that he clicked slightly to be sure he got her between the ears. "Sorry, Nike. I'm just…I dunno. All my other friends like Luxa more than me, I guess. Or at least are more loyal to her than I."

"And you think I am not?"

"Nike-"

"You are not nearly as moody, which is always a plus," she told him then. "And Gregor, if there was even a chance this was not your child, Luxa would not be going through this ruse. If it was Barrett's, then things would have been much less complex for her. She could have married him without fail and just told you to live with it or leave. And knowing you, you would have gone to the Fount to sulk and then came back to be her dirty secret again."

He frowned then. "I would not have. Why would you-"

"Sometimes it takes a friend to tell you the truth, Gregor," she reasoned with him. "Not to mention, Overlander, I do not know this Barrett well, but I assume if he were to really be engaging in any sort of activity with Luxa, he would be unable to hide it from you. He would wish to throw it back at you. He is not. That is why he is so jealous of you and your accomplishments."

He let that sink in for awhile before shaking his head slightly and giving up on the conversation. Instead he asked her, "How familiar are you with that spot on the map? I cannot read a map in the dark, unfortunately. Do you know for certain the location?"

"Of course. I have a very good memory, Gregor."

"Right. Sure."

"You know, Gregor, I could dump you off my back right now and drop you into the waterway, tell Luxa that some gnawers killed you, and be done with you right now."

"And lose your best friend?"

"I am sorry. I do not see Luxa around."

He laughed at that before shaking his head. "You know that you would pick me over her any day."

"Aye," Nike sighed. "I believe it to be my greatest flaw."


	10. Chapter 10

The Living Dead

Chapter 10

Gregor didn't really know what to expect of their travel to the Dead Lands. He knew from the map that there were not many gnawers clusters in the area. Honestly, he was expecting no one to be around when they arrived. The scout that sent Luxa the message only told her that he had discovered a code where other gnawers were discussing Ripred's location.

It was not unusual for Ripred to lay dormant, but it most certainly was when so much were going on with the gnawers. They were once again in the process of trying to determine a new leader, which was usually when he would be campaigning himself. Not to mention, he apparently had left behind the little group that Gregor had seen him with before.

And quite honestly, Gregor thought he was dead. He had for the past few months. After Vikus died, he had spoken with Ripred, having gone out to his last known location. The old rat wasn't really doing well. He had had a disagreement with most of his clan and he was on the brink of losing all his followers. Not to mention he had gotten into a fight with someone when Gregor saw him, his wounds not healing well. He had a cut on one leg that was causing him to limp.

He tried to get Ripred to come back with him, but of course he refused. And when he returned to Regalia, Luxa was far more concerned with the loss of her grandfather than the possible harm that could come to her most hated bond. So he left it alone and put it out of his mind for awhile. But when Ripred didn't show up a few months later, he was pretty certain he knew the gnawer had finally lost his light.

So really, when they got to the Dead Lands, Gregor wasn't expecting much. He wasn't even certain where to begin. Nike took him as close to the spot that Luxa had shown them as possible, but that was the most she could do for him.

They rode around some, looking in tunnels and such. Gregor was hesitant to call out for the rat, but eventually he began to. Besides, he and Nike were both in good health. No one could take them, he was certain. It would have taken an army of gnawers to take them down and he was certain there was not a chance of one of those lurking around.

Still, he felt mighty silly, calling out the gnawer's name. Ripred. Ripred. Ripred. Even if it was another's name, he would have still felt dumb. Like Bambi or something. Mother. Mother. Mother?

"Let me onto the ground then, Nike," Gregor finally sighed. "I shall search him out from there, yes?"

"Gregor, I am not so certain," Nike said slowly. "It is mighty dark. You-"

"I have my echolocation."

"I…suppose so."

So she dropped him to the cavern floor below, letting him take a good look around. Of course she was only overhead and could swoop him up if need be. Not that he would let her. He hadn't had a real chance to fight in a few months. Not that he was craving it or anything, but if the opportunity came upon him, he wasn't sure he could fight it off either. His rager senses had long since been under some form off control, but it hard for him not to get a little bloodlust sometimes.

The part of the Dead Lands they were in were, well, dead. There was nothing going on. He saw a few bugs and there was occasionally the sound of dripping water from somewhere far off, but other than that, they were alone. It reminded Gregor heavily of when he and Luxa were lost in those caverns, out in the Uncharted Lands. Those horrible creatures that were there kept creeping into his mind, reminding him of that horrible noise Luxa's head made when it connected with the ground.

He only shook it off though, as he knew for a fact that those creatures would be nowhere to be found in the Dead Lands. There was no way that they would be. They were an enemy that he would never have to see again. There were some scouts that had begun excavating the banished's home, as a means of filling in some of the Uncharted Lands, but they were given explicit instructions not to venture into the caves. And if they chose to, then that was their problem.

He was clicking quite regularly, giving up on calling out Ripred's name. If the gnawer was around, he would have shown his face by that point. Either that or he was in hiding, in which case calling out to him wasn't going to help anything. Not to mention, Gregor didn't really wish to drawl any more attention to himself. He could not find anyone around, but that did not mean there was not someone.

He walked around for more than an hour, Nike eventually getting bored overhead. She called down to him eventually, asking if he was ready to head back.

"We can't yet, Nike," he told her back. "We still do not have any information, either way. We're supposed to find him."

"No. We were supposed to see if he was here. He is not."

Gregor only shook his head. "You can leave, Nike, and send Aurora to come get me later if you'd like. But Ripred waged war practically for me. He betrayed his bond, something that is punishable by death."

Nike only sighed. "We shall stay longer then."

Gregor knew that she wished to go and he felt kind of bad. He also suddenly felt like he made a bad choice in his flier. Aurora would never care for Ripred, but she would not have wished to get back to the capital quickly. She would wish to kill time, as she found staying in Regalia constantly boring. Nike, however, liked to constantly be doing something. If there were a little more action put into finding Ripred, she would have been content.

He just didn't want to go though, was the problem. Not if there was a chance at finding Ripred…or at least something. Honestly, he was bored at home. And yeah, okay, so the wedding and pregnancy stuff was kind of stressful too. It's not like either were ever something he planned for. Especially not in such a surprise manner. Quite honestly, he still hadn't really adjusted to either revelation. And he had a feeling he wouldn't until they were both over and done with, until there was a crown on his head and a baby in his arms. Could anyone blame him though?

…Luxa. Luxa could. She could blame him for a drought though, so that wasn't really groundbreaking.

"See that tunnel down there? It is too cramped for you. I will-"

"Overlander, enough," Nike said then, about twenty minutes later. "It is time to turn home if you are going to resort to that. I will not let you."

"Nike-"

"It is dark in there. And any other creature in the Underland can smell you from miles off. Perhaps even smell the Overland linger on you. They could be hiding in there, planning on attack you. Are you prepared for that, Gregor? Are you?"

"…Yes."

"Overlander-"

"You worry too much," he told her with a shake of his head. "I will be back."

He could tell that Nike did not wish for him to go, but there was no way for her to stop him. He was ultimately the one in charge of the journey. And he knew too that she was slow to anger and was not one to keep a grudge. She would forgive him by the time he to out of the tunnel.

"I will not stray far," she called out to him finally. "But I wish to fly on, to see if I can find anything else."

"It is up to you."

"If you call for me, I will get to you."

"And I you."

The tunnel was extremely cramped. He had to hunch over to crawl around in there and he didn't think that Ripred would be there. He was interested to see where it would lead him though and thought that possibly Ripred had huddled up in hiding maybe. Either way, Gregor had found Nike on going in the dank, retched cave and now he was stuck with that decision.

He scrapped his arm on the rocks a few times, as in certain areas the tunnel walls were so narrow there was no other way. Part of him suddenly feared a cave in or something of that sort, but then he pushed it out of his mind. He was too far in at that point to go back out. Turning around would have been a nightmare, and walking backwards was just out of the question. He had to push forward.

He felt filthy once he got to the end of the tunnel. He was not shocked to find it opened into a cavern, but he was shocked to find that the light at the end of the tunnel he saw wasn't his mind just playing a trick on him.

There was a fire. And he could tell from the size that it was a roasting fire. Not to mention the smell of meat in the air. Immediately he was brought back to when he and Aurora discovered the banished's darkest secret and he had immediately vomited, like a coward, and been unable to act.

But it was fish roasting. And it actually smelled pretty good. Fish wasn't really something that he ate a lot, as Luxa wasn't rather fond of it. She ate very little meat and in turn, he only got some when he would actually eat in the mess hall, which was becoming rarer and rarer.

He also knew almost immediately that it was not a gnawer. Not a normal one, at the very least. All gnawers ate their fish cold, raw for the most part. So did many creatures, he was certain. Even in the Fount, that's how they liked them. It was just Regalia that was weird.

Another thing that the fish told him was that he was close to a stream. Not the Waterway, he knew that. They were far too deep in the cavernous systems of the Dead Lands for that to be possible. There had to be a tiny river or something. It was not unlikely. Streams ran all over the land, after all.

The only problem was that Gregor could find nobody around. That made him suspect that someone had heard him coming and fled. It made sense. Whoever it was did not want to be found. That alone made Gregor think of Ripred and that excited him. Maybe he had acquired a taste for fish being cooked? It was not completely implausible.

Gregor could see around the entire cavern, but the different tunnels that led out of it were shrouded in darkness. It did not smell so horrible in there, however. And not just because of the fish either. It seemed to be well ventilated, which was good. Being in that cramped tunnel had about killed his nose.

"Hello?" Gregor called out, his voice echoing amount the stalagmite and stalactites around. "Ripred?"

Nothing.

"It's me," he tried then, looking around. "Gregor. Luxa's real worried about…well, about you, I guess. More though she just wants to be certain you're dead so she can forget about you. At least that's what she says."

He thought that would get a rise out of Ripred. Even if he was keeping himself hidden away for whatever reason, he knew that he would not take kindly to Luxa speaking ill of him or threatening his life.

Still, he got nothing. So maybe it wasn't Ripred. But then who would hide from him? Most gnawers were crawling at the chance to kill Gregor or at least have combat with him. The other faction that weren't didn't believe him to be bloodthirsty and actually respected him. That left no in-between for those that might be fearful.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Gregor called out then, walking around while peaking into the darkened tunnels all around. "I'm just looking for someone. Ripred. But…if you don't know where he is, that's fine. I'll just go then. Okay?"

Nothing. Sighing, Gregor thought about going over to some of those tunnels, but then remembered that he still had Nike to worry about. He couldn't go off, trekking around in tunnels, after someone that most certainly wasn't who he was looking for. He didn't want to bother the person either.

"I'm going to go now. If you don't need my help. I could help you, if you want."

Nothing. Sighing, Gregor finally turned his back, planning on heading through that dank little tunnel again. He was not versed well in the area of the Dead Lands they were in and did not feel like getting lost, after all. He had to find his way back to Nike and that meant going back the way he came.

He heard something then. A shuffle, off to his side. As not to give away what he knew, Gregor glanced out of the corner of his eye at the area he heard the noise from. There were only two tunnels over that way and he could see a shadow coming from one then. It was the shape of a gnawer.

When he saw that, Gregor grinned, turning to face the gnawer then. "Ha, Ripred. I knew I would find-"

That was just a distraction though. He should have known better. Whether the gnawer was Ripred or not, he was not the one that Gregor should have been paying attention to.

In his excitement over possibly finding his lost mentor, Gregor hadn't heard the person quickly approaching him from behind. Not until it was far too late at least.

Whoever it was hit him with something hard in the back of the head, hard enough to make Gregor fall backwards onto the ground, smashing his head once more. He didn't go black immediately. He had a quick glance at who it was that hit him. A person. A human. An...Underlander?

* * *

><p>He woke with a start. It was dark and he was alone. For a minute he panicked. He could smell blood and knew it was his own. The back of his head was matted with it. When he reached behind him, he could feel the gooey liquid clumped in areas.<p>

How long had he been out for?

"Nike?" Gregor called out, his voice rough and throat dry. He slowly sat up, his head swimming, his gut all torn up. He felt like he had to vomit, but he hadn't eaten since breakfast. Nothing came up, but vile when he tried. He fell back to the ground with a groan.

He had to get up. He had to find out where he was. Was he still in the same cavern? He had no way of knowing. His tongue was thick and it took a lot out of him just to click it a few times.

He seemed to be in the same place, but he had no way of knowing. Closing his eyes, he let out a low groan. He was stuck, honestly. His body felt too weak to move and he had no way of getting to Nike. He would have to gather his strength and hope that his head wound clotted.

What had happened? He remembered seeing Ripred…no, just a gnawer. Or was it Ripred? He couldn't remember. And then someone delivered a horrible blow to his head. They had to be a mighty powerful person to knock him out in one blow.

…Person. A human. He could almost picture them, but he was still a little fuzzy. Who was that person? And were they still around? Waiting to get him?

His stomach heaved as he rolled onto his stomach. He just took a few deep breaths before slowly trying to crawl away. He had to get to Nike. How though? He was so disoriented that he could not remember which tunnel he had entered from. He knew from when he was a kid that people always told you to stay put when you were lost, but that just wasn't an option in that moment. Sometime you had to save yourself, even at the risk of only bringing detriment.

His head was in more pain that it had been that time that man swung a battle hammer at it. Was…dying? It sure felt like it. His vision was nothing, as it was so dark, but even his echolocation felt off. All of him felt off though, in reality. He wasn't even sure if he was crawling in a straight line. He was just dragging his legs behind him, causing some tears in his pants when they snagged on rocks and such. He could feel some cuts on them as well, but they were useless to him. When he fell, he must have rolled his ankle or something. It was impossible to use.

There was no way that he was going to be able to crawl through that damp, rancid smelling tunnel. He gave up halfway to it. He knew that if he went in that small space, Nike would never be able to get to him. She'd have to get someone else, a human, to come to his rescue and that could take too long. He needed another plan.

He needed a _better_ plan.

Rolling onto his back then, he started clicking. He needed to think. There was something that could help him in the cavern. There had to be. He couldn't die there, in some unknown cavern, where his body would rot without anyone ever knowing what happened.

Nerissa had told him as much. He wasn't allowed to have such a death.

"Suck it up," he breathed out to himself. It was what Luxa would do if she was in that situation. Or Ripred. They would fight until they were dead. Ripred once survived by hiding under the carcass of another gnawer, using it to shield his body from carnivorous bugs. He wouldn't lay down in die. He _couldn't_ lay down and die.

He had promised.

Think. He had to think. He had to think of everything. There had to be something that the people that left him there hadn't thought of. They had to have left him for to die, right? But there had to be a flaw somewhere in that. Somewhere, something…

Water.

He almost laughed at the thought. Water. He wanted some so badly that he had thought to push it out of his mind, while it was actually the one thing he needed to think about. The fish that they had been roasting, they had to have gotten it from a stream or river. Water. And water came from somewhere. It had to lead back to the Waterway. If he could get there, if he could just push through, then someone would find him there. A scout, some gnawers, someone. Even fliers might fly over head and notice him. And Nike might pass as she headed back to Regalia to get backup.

The only problem was that he didn't know how to get there. There were so many caves and tunnels. He had to…to…think. Think about the lay out of the Dead Lands. The river could be branching off in any direction, but he knew thee path of the Waterway like the back of his hand. It was so encompassing, after all. Took up most of the map in the war room. He just had to think of where Luxa had told him Ripred would be, the path that he and Nike then took, and the direction that the tunnel left him out into the cavern. From there he had to figure out which way to go and just pick a tunnel and hope for the best.

The only problem was that he didn't know how much strength he had in him. It was all good and well, deciding to suck it up and push through it. Eventually thought he'd have to give out. He might even pass out. He had one shot at the whole getting to the Waterway thing and he had to decide on it fast.

Thinking hurt his brain, but he was forced to just push through it. He really had no other option. If he didn't devise a plan as to which tunnel to take, he was for sure dead. He just had to get a grasp on his directions and go for it, hope for the best.

When he finally made his choice, he didn't allow himself to admit that it was mostly an educated guess. It was also slightly a process of elimination type thing. He knew for certain that a few would only lead him further away. Of course, he couldn't account for the turns and bends that the tunnels might take, but he was going to have to pretend that was not a possibility. If he couldn't plan for it, then it didn't' exist. That was just the mindset he was going to have to have in that moment.

His ankle still felt horrible, but he forced himself to walk on it. He nearly fell many times, but it was better than belly crawling through a damp tunnel. He cut up his hands then though, as he had to catch himself against the walls of the tiny cave walls that led him out of the cavern. That was the least of his problems though as his head continued to twirl without stop.

When he got to the end of the tunnel, he found that it only led to a smaller cavern and no river or stream. That wasn't a total loss, however, as he knew if he kept on his path, eventually he would have to find the Waterway. Or at least he hoped.

Endurance was Gregor's strong suit for the most part and he continued to just fight through his pain. He just had to keep thinking of the goal. He had to be found by someone. It was only the chance.

A fire. He saw a fire at one point. And he should have been hesitant to go near it, as the last time he had seen one, it only caused him trouble. Still, his mind was mostly shot at that point and it was his only option, really.

The closer he got, the more he realized that it wasn't _a_ fire. The fire light he was seeing was being given off by a torch. And that only meant one thing, truly.

"Overlander?" The man had heard his footsteps and labored breathing, prompting him to immediately come out of hiding. "What are you- What happened to you?"

Gregor almost fell forwards as the scout immediately moved to support him. "Attacked. Lost the flier princess."

"Here." The scout took Gregor over to where he was hiding, setting him down gently with his back against a big stone. He was shielded from immediate view, but Gregor didn't really fear anyone being around anyhow. He was mostly concerned with his injuries.

"Wine." The man grabbed his wineskin off the ground before uncorking it and pressing it to Gregor's lips. "What are you doing here?"

"Luxa. Mission." Gregor almost chocked on the wine. "Ripred."

"Ah. I am the scout who spotted him in this area." The man took the wineskin then before standing. "I have a bond that is out catching us dinner at the Waterway. I shall get her and send her back for you. I shall also alert the other scouts in the area to look for the flier princess."

"I can…I can go," Gregor groaned out. "Just let me-"

"No." The scout put a hand to his shoulder before standing once more. "There is wine, but no medical supplies here. They are with my bond. You stay here. I shall return as quickly as possible."

Gregor wanted to go, but really didn't think that he had enough strength to continue on. Besides, he would only slow the scout down. Honestly, he was just glad that the man was kind enough to help him out.

Though he tried hard to fight it off, Gregor dozed there in that tunnel, hidden behind a rock, with the scent of mildew and filth all around. He knew it was not good for a head injury, but what more could he do? Sleep was just too easy to give into when you were in such pain as him. And it's not as if the wine was helping any with that.

It was the approach of a flier that awoke Gregor fully. He felt glad that the tunnel was big enough to accommodate him. Though he did not know the flier by name, he seemed to know Gregor. That wasn't too shocking though, as most fliers were not only thankful to Gregor for all he had done in the past, but also felt as if they were in debt for the fact he had saved their princess. Most fliers would do anything and everything for him. All he had to do was say the word.

The scout had gone off to find Nike, of course, so it was up to Gregor to get onto the flier. He was extremely patient with him and did not fuss when Gregor got his blood on him. He had such crimson fur, the flier did, that it did not matter much.

"Your bond, he-"

"I am taking you back to the palace, Overlander. He can fend for himself well enough. He is going to find the Princess."

Gregor only laid on his back, staring upwards as he tried to stay as still as possible. "I…I should stay. Look for her."

"Just sleep, Overlander. I-" The flier stopped speaking then, if only for a moment. Then he spoke again. "You cannot hear, but I can. It is the Princess. She is calling out for fliers in the area."

Gregor strained his ears, but of course got nothing out of it. "She's close then?"

The flier hesitated before saying, "Extremely."

He shut his eyes. "Tell her. Can you? That I am safe?"

"I can," the flier assured him as they zoomed along. "You are still going to Regalia however, Overlander."

"If I must."

He fell asleep for some amount of time there, though he wasn't a very good judge of how long. He felt safe again and knew that the flier was going to get him home, which put his mind at ease.

Nike caught then as some point in the tunnels and was most overjoyed at finding him. She offered to take Gregor back and let the flier, who Gregor found out to be named Hephaestus, get back to his bond, but the flier refused. He insisted that he be the one to take the warrior home, which annoyed Nike to no end. And besides, the flier told her, his bond still had work to do. He would get back to his duty of scouting.

This annoyed Nike to no end, but she avoided using her status to get her way. The way that the fliers all revered Gregor was rivaled by their commitment to Nike and Queen Athena. They clearly held them in high esteem.

Gregor dozed again, now content with the fact that Nike was fine. She tried to keep him awake by talking to him, but Gregor couldn't help it. He felt horribly drowsy and knew it had to do with his head wound.

When they made it to the gates of Regalia, the guards on fliers started to stop them, but almost immediately recognized Nike and Gregor and decided to leave them be. It was in the High Halls that anyone noticed that Gregor was in ill health.

There were some soldiers hanging around, as well as a guard. When they saw how sick he was and Nike explained the situation, someone went off to get a medic. This embarrassed Gregor to no end, who insisted on getting up and taking himself to the hospital wing. His ankle felt somewhat better after being off it for so long and with two guys helping him, he was able to walk, though it was rather slow.

"What happened to you then, Overlander?" one of the men asked as they went on. He was one of Gregor's men and had never done him wrong. "Where were you?"

"Dead Lands," he mumbled, hardly able to get it out. "Queen's orders."

One of the doctors met them halfway and immediately began to scold Gregor. It was some female doctor that he knew he was supposed to know. She used to oversee Howard when he was still studying to be a doctor. Her name was lost on him in that moment, however.

"Oh, Overlander," she sighed as she led him to a room. "Eventually you are going to have to learn to return to the capital without injuries."

He felt horrible and was dismayed to find that his eyes were still fuzzy, even with all the brightness around. With his constant suffering of head injuries, he knew that he was just walking a fine line between doing some serious damage. He saw it all the time, dealing with soldiers on the battle field. The brain was a very complex system and hit the wrong way or the skull shattering could possibly destroy a life.

They did not have to put him under, as he only needed stitches, but time seemed to go on for eternity. It was hours before they stabilized him again and left him alone, hopped up on pain meds and some sleeping pills.

Luxa was his first visitor, though she had been filtering around outside his room for some time, waiting to be allowed in. When she was, she only sat down next to his bedside, staring at him. He was drugged by that point and only grinned at her. She gave him a stoic look back.

Eventually, she reached out to take one of his hands, which were both wrapped due to the deep cuts he had gotten on them from falling all those times. She only stroked the white cloth tied around it, gazing at him for awhile. It took awhile, but in the end, it was her that found her voice.

"Propose to me."

He was still pretty dang drowsy and only stared sleepily at her with half-closed eyes. "Mmmm?"

She was looking down at his hand then instead of up at him. "You are injured and drugged. It will make a good story. Propose to me."

He was as she said. Drugged. Reaching over with his other hand, he poked her nose with a slightly chuckle. "_You_ propose to _me._"

She ignored him, only shaking her head slightly. "There are guards outside your hospital room. If you say it loud enough they shall hear and then I can announce it. Propose to me, Overlander."

"Mmmm." He yawned, his head lolling to the other side then. "I'm sleepy."

"Gregor." She was not longer kidding. Her low tone had taken a murky cadence. "You are going to ask for my hand and I am going to pretend to be excited and say yes. That is how this is going to play out. Either that or you are about to be in a lot more pain."

He blinked. Then, slowly, he asked, "You care 'bout me?"

That caught her off guard. "Of course, but-"

"Didn't ask me 'bout nothin'."

"Nike and Hephaestus told me everything. You were attacked. I am sorry. When we get back to my wing, when you are out of here, we will discuss it in much detail. Right now, though, I have been presented with an easy out to announcing our wedding. You are injured and are afraid of dying without me. I am..." She grimaced at her own words then. "I am….stricken by you and wish to be with you always. It is actually quite romantic in comparison to reality."

He poked her nose again. "What you know 'bout that?"

"Being with you? Not much." She grabbed his other hand then, frowning at him. "Ask me."

"Love you," he mumbled, shutting his eyes then. "Love Lu-"

"Ask. Me."

"Mmmm." He peeked an eye open. "Wanna get married?"

"Louder."

"Wan-"

"They have to hear-"

"Marry me!" He screamed it at her then, which made her blush. "God, Luxa, is that what you want? Marry me."

She was the one that said she was supposed to have a huge reaction, but she didn't. She just sat there and stared for a moment before nodding her head slightly at him. He had most certainly been heard, after all. No need for her to say much.

"Yes,' she finally whispered before clearing her throat. Then, louder, she said, "Okay. Yes."

"Good." He tried to settle back into the bed then, but Luxa was moving to hug him then. He sat up slightly to allow this. She kissed his cheek even. When she moved back to look at him, he was clearly out of it and she only sighed.

"You had better remember this when you awake, Overlander," she grumbled as she gently let him go and helped him settle into bed. "Alright?"

"Mmmm. I'm 'bout to sleep." He only smiled at her. "Love you."

She only sighed, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. "I love you too."


	11. Chapter 11

The Living Dead

Chapter 11

He spent a few days in the hospital before being released on strict instructions of not doing anything too arduous. Gregor thought it was a silly instruction, as he had no doubt that he would immediately head back to the Dead Lands to investigate.

Luxa had other plans.

"Luxa-"

"You were released to me, Overlander. That means you are going to be with me at all times. You are not going anywhere."

"Then why do I even have to get out of bed? I mean, honestly? It's not even-"

"Because the second I left, you would go and get yourself someone to take you back to the Dead Lands to be killed. Now get up."

He had only been released the afternoon before, in which Luxa made him stay on the couch in the sitting room, even making him eat dinner in there. It was beyond annoying, but he played into her because he really wasn't feeling too hot at that point. He could use a few hours of rest.

And he had had them. Now he was prepared to go back out and find out who the heck attacked him.

"Luxa," he whined then, shifting in her bed. Their bed. Soon. "I'm still tired."

"I have been up for hours. I have already taken Zander to the nursery even. I must get to the war room soon. Get up."

"But-"

"We're bathing."

That intrigued him slightly, enough to push himself up. "Together?"

She only glanced back at him. "It is the plan. Come."

Well, with an incentive…

In the back part of the royal wing, there was a small bathing area. It was too risky for Gregor to hangout in there very often, as he couldn't very well come out off the royal wing with wet hair at the end of the night, could he?

Still, sometimes Luxa would allow him to bathe with her there. Very rarely. This was also due to the fact that Luxa usually wished to be alone then and rarely saw anything sexual behind the idea of it. Since Hazard had been gone, however, and they were more or less alone in the royal wing, it had begun happening more often. It had been a few weeks though.

"In the coming days, you shall not need an invitation," Luxa was telling Gregor when they got there. It was truly just a slightly larger than usual room with a free-flowing pool in the center. Though he did not like the idea of bath time in general, Zander rather enjoyed it once he was swimming around in there. "This shall all be yours as well."

He only grinned at her slightly before reaching up to run a hand over his hair, only to remember that it was wrapped for the time being. Sigh.

"Hands," Luxa ordered, holding out her own as they stood there, the only other sound being the water swooshing around. When he gave her his, she began to unwrap the binds. He could see she already had some gauze over in the corner, next to their clothes for the day, no doubt planning to rewrap them when they were done. She was in a caring mood.

"You guys pipe system interests me," Gregor mentioned to her then, just trying to find something to talk about. He always kind of felt awkward when Luxa was fretting over his wounds. It was just so out of character. "The Romans were able to build a sewage system. I'm sure that's what this place is based off. In school they told us-"

"Gregor."

"Hmmm?"

"Shut up."

That made him smile while she only continued to tend to his binds. Once those were completely off, she reached out to grab the hem of his shirt and pull it off.

"We must be careful with your head. Would not want to do it anymore damage." She stared him in the eyes. "I doubt you have very many more cells in there, after all."

"Ha ha."

She sat in his lap when they were finally in the water, clearly planning on being there awhile. He thought of reminding her of the fact that she herself said they needed to get to the war room soon, but then remembered that he didn't care. He really didn't. Recently the only things that going there brought were annoyances. He deserved a chance to relax. The water felt good on his tired muscles.

The water was not as high in the royal wing as it was in the public baths. It was clear that the one in the royal wing was meant for more recreational use, should the time call for it, than the public one, as that was used strictly for it's purpose.

"You're gonna have to cut this all off soon," Gregor mumbled softly to Luxa when he ran a hand through the back of her hair, tangling it up. "War and all."

She shifted when he kissed the back of her neck, tensing slightly. "Not before the wedding."

"About that," he began slowly before saying, "Nike told me that you'd probably want it to be private."

"I have not given it much thought, really. I am more concerned with your crowning than anything else." She relaxed against him again. "And of course the child."

"Of course." He moved his hand then, reaching around her to rest it against her stomach.

"The ceremony though would not be that serious of a problem. Someone of high standing shall oversee, you shall say the oath-"

"What exactly is the oath?"

She ignored him. "-and I shall repeat. It is not entirely different than a bonding ceremony, I suppose."

"You'll look prettier, huh? Wear a dress?"

That usually would have gotten him an elbow to the stomach, but she only rolled her eyes.

"I would not wish to, but I must for the coronation, so I might as well." She groaned then. "And your mother will be there, I am certain."

"I'm not," he said with a sigh. "She's not exactly on board with this whole thing."

"How delightful."

"Luxa-"

"I was being kind. That is a kind thing to say. Those are kind words. Delight is a kind-"

"Anyways," he began again. "Lizzie and Boots are on winter break by now. Not for much longer, I wouldn't guess. Maybe a week or so."

"They may come," she said indifferently. "If they wish."

He leaned his head back, over the side of the tub, closing his eyes. "Being married's gonna rock."

"Rock?"

"Be cool. Good. Whatever." He tightened his grip on her. "We can hangout whenever, I can fuck you whenever, we'll take bathes every morning together-"

"I am agreeing to none of this. Being married to me shall be horrible for you." She shifted back against him. "I swear it."

"Ah. Great. Perfect even. Just like the rest of my existence." He smiled slightly. "Won't have to get used to a single thing."

* * *

><p>"At times I find it was better for you, Gregor, when you were a guard." Mareth grinned at him. "At least you had a helmet in those days."<p>

"You're funny, Mareth. Far too funny to be a general. Do not be too upset when I make you my jester."

He grinned at him then. "And should I bow to you then now? Should I call you your grace? Your highness?"

Luxa, who was walking in behind Gregor, only shook her head slightly. "No, but you should be doing so for me. You should always have been doing so for me. Now that the Overlander is going to be royalty, it is silly for him to be doing things for me. So one of you two are going to have to pick up the slack."

"Well, we already know for certain who that shall be," Mareth remarked as Barrett, who was standing in the room as well, moved to pull Luxa's chair out for her. She started to shake her head and tell him no, but then she glanced at Gregor. He would never admit to being in pain and actually sit. She would have to feign exhaustion from the pregnancy again and bite the bullet for him. Look weak for him.

And Gregor says she never does anything kind for him.

"We shall all be seated," she commanded then. "And where is my army head then?"

"Who knows?" Mareth grumbled, pulling out his own chair and taking a seat. "She's been running around, dealing with scouts and such since Gregor was attacked. She believes the story he has spun."

Gregor frowned at that. "It is not just something I have spun. I saw a gnawer and a human teamed up together. They used my shock to trick me and try to kill me."

"They did not try to kill you," Luxa told him as she went to take her seat. "If they were trying to kill you, they would have when they had the chance. Instead, they left you for dead for a reason. Unconscious. They had to have known you were still breathing. The point was to keep you alive. Though I do not know why."

"Because if the Overlander was left for dead there, you would have issued a mass search."

They all looked up as Perdita came into the room, Kent faithfully behind her, carrying a few scrolls. He looked happy though, following so closely behind her that he almost ran into her when she came to a sudden stop.

"If that had happened, Luxa," Perdita went on as she stood there, looking at the four of them as if she had just cracked some sort of code or something. Figuring things out was always a huge victory for her though and since she had so few enjoyments in life, very few took it from her. "You would have discovered what was going on. They needed Gregor incapacitated so they could get away, but they did not want him to die out there. So they left him, figuring that whoever was with him would come get him. It's rare that we send generals out on their own, though I blame you for that decision-"

"Perdita," Luxa warned to which she bowed her head. Gregor only grinned slightly, settling into his seat.

"Here that, Lux?" Gregor smiled at her slightly. "Perdita blames you too."

"I-I did not say that," Perdita said, frowning at him. Luxa only held her head higher.

"Believe me, your opinion has little affect on me regardless," the Queen assured the other woman.

"I care about your opinion," Kent assured her to which Perdita only shook her head.

"What did I say, Kent?" she asked, glancing at him. "You are to be seen, not heard. You are nothing more than a-"

"Give the kid a break, Perdita," Barrett said then, smiling at her though it was hallow. "He's just trying to…butter you up. Eh, Trent?"

"Kent," the teen growled, glowering over at the older man.

Perdita was already putting it all behind her, however, as she just headed over to the table. Mareth, who always sat on one side of her, moved to pull out her chair. Rushing over, Kent beat him to it, causing Mareth to glare at him. Perdita either didn't notice either of them or just didn't care, as she took her seat without acknowledging either.

Kent sat her scrolls in front of her before going to stand in the corner. As Gregor had not been to any meetings since getting back, this made him frown.

"Come on, guys," he complained. "You can't even get a chair for him? Seriously?"

Luxa frowned at him. "Where would we put it?"

"Where did you put it when Helix was here, Luxa? Or Namus? Seriously?" He shook his head before looking to Kent. "Go find a chair, buddy. You can sit with us. God, guys, really?"

Kent waited for Perdita to nod at him before he left the room. Then Mareth only took to glaring at Gregor.

"He has no standing, Gregor. Helix and Namus did. He-"

"All of us were nothing once," Barrett reminded him. "Tell me, you ever miss the orphanage, Mareth? When even your parents did not want you?"

Mareth started to stand then, but Perdita reached over to grab his arm, though she kept her eyes glaring at Barrett. Luxa only groaned.

"That will be all for today, General," she finally sighed, shaking her head at him. "And we will discuss appropriate comments on the morrow. Leave."

"What?" Barrett glared at her then. "He says worse to me constantly. When they speak ill of the Fount, ill of my upbringing, you-"

"That will be all, General." Luxa lowered her voice then as she said, "Do not make me say it again, Barrett."

Kent was coming back into the room then, carrying a chair in his hands. Gregor thought that he'd just put it on the other side of the table, where there were no chairs. Instead, he went to squeeze it between Mareth and Perdita.

The boy was a brat, but he was an intelligent brat.

"What are you doing?" Mareth grumbled as Barrett stormed off. "Kid-"

"I have to sit next to Perdita," he explained. "I am her assistant, after all."

"Kent, go sit in Barrett's spot and put the chair off to the side," Luxa said with a shake of her head.

"We will have to change seat positions soon enough though, huh? Don't I get to sit in the center now? Because a king outweighs a queen?"

Luxa pinched Gregor for that one, her apparent form of attack when she couldn't hit him. "Quiet, Overlander."

Kent frowned, but did as Luxa told him, though when Perdita glanced at him, he sat up to attention in his seat. She only shook her head before reminding him, "Seen not heard."

Mareth was still grumbling though, clearly put out on both ends for the day. "I do not even know why he must be in here."

"He is her assistant," Luxa said. "You know this."

"It was Barrett's idea," Perdita told him softly. "I told you, Mareth, like how Solovet-"

"If you start talking about that woman, Perdita, I will walk out and go to the Fount and never come back."

She rolled her eyes at that, but did reach over to pat Mareth on the shoulder. Gregor figured she was still feeling badly about how Barrett behaved, not Kent. Kent was just embarrassing to her.

"As you were saying then, Perdita?" Luxa finally began, wanting to get the meeting back on track. Honestly, Gregor was never expecting much to get done during the meetings. They always seemed to be too easily derailed.

Perdita nodded then before saying, "I do not remember exactly what I was saying when we were distracted, but my entire point was that they did not want us in that portion of the Dead Lands. They did not want us lurking around. So they had to get the Overlander out of there without letting him know who they were. So they knocked him unconscious without knowing about how frequently he gains head wounds. It was worse than they expected. He was truly injured. When he awoke, disoriented and out of it, they were long gone, thinking they had completed their job."

"But what could a gnawer and a human possibly be doing together?" Mareth shook his head. "It makes no-"

"Maybe it was the Reclaimer," Perdita suggested. "That would make sense."

"Who was the human, Perdita?" Mareth shook his head. "You two have latched onto this Reclaimer nonsense, the Overlander on the Living Dead. Why can we not just be at peace for once? Without a prophecy? Can we not just live for awhile?"

"Can we all live the way you live? No." Perdita sighed. "They clearly do not want us there, Mareth. What choice do we have but to go there and investigate?"

"Hmmm, how about not investigating?"

"If the two of you start bickering too, I will just close the meeting," Luxa warned. To Perdita, she said, "Have you found anything then? With the scouts you have out there?"

"Nothing. I think that the Overlander scared whoever it was into hiding." Perdita nodded at Kent then. "Grab the scroll we got from Brend and read it, yes?"

He was quick to stand and go grab the scroll before taking his seat again. The scroll gave out a very basic set of information, involving that specific scout discovering a nest for a gnawer along with the remains of a fire. They were assumed to be fresh, but abandoned. She staked them out for a day and got nothing from it. There would be more updates to follow.

"So we have a gnawer aligned with a human. Perhaps he is left over from the banished, yes? A rouge?" Mareth shook his head. "I do not think we should-"

"You are here to discuss with me, Mareth, but once the discussion is dead, do not try and tell me what to do. I am in charge of you." Perdita wasn't looking at him then. "Do remember it."

Mareth was about done for the day with that comment and shifted in his seat, setting his jaw. Luxa glanced at Gregor, but he only shook his head. He didn't want them to fight, but he also didn't want to get involved in their argument either.

"Anyways," Luxa finally said. "It does no harm if we have some scouts out there filtering around. Really, it-"

"I wanna go back," Gregor spoke up then. "I was the one that was able to find them before, so it is only reasonable to think that I will be the one that is able to find them again."

"No, Gregor," she sighed. "You are still healing. Not to mention, our wedding is next week. You are not leaving the capital."

He glared at her. "I'm going Luxa. They attacked me. If someone attacked you, I would have to chain you to keep from going after them."

"Hmmm. Locking you in the dungeon is a favorite pastime of mine."

"Especially when I am dying or have a serious head wound."

"Yes, well, how else am I supposed to make sure you stay down?"

Perdita shook her head then. "If the Overlander wishes to go, then he could be sent out with other men. Barrett can even go, Luxa, if it would make you feel better."

"Though the chance of them both being gone at once and both possibly being killed off does intrigue me, no," Luxa said with a frown. "And Gregor, do not think I will not chain you if I think that you are going to leave the castle for the Dead Lands. It never does any good for you. You always end up hurt when your return from it."

"Yeah, but I live, don't I?" he grumbled.

"Barely."

"There is no reason to put your life in danger, Gregor," Mareth told him, no doubt taking Luxa's side if only because it was opposite of Perdita's. "Especially for something that has no bearing on any of us."

"It has enough of a bearing on me. I think you guys are forgetting that they tried to kill me."

"Are you going to live off revenge then, Gregor?" Luxa shook her head. "It's not very becoming of a king."

"And being pregnant out of wedlock isn't very becoming of a queen, but you're still living, aren't you?"

There was no pinch that time. She literally hit Gregor in the arm. Kent was the only one who made a noise and it was just snickering.

"Domestic violence much, Lux?" Gregor rubbed his arm while glaring at her. "You know, I could completely call this whole thing off and make you out to be a slut to your entire realm."

He deserved that one just as much as the last, but it did annoy him that she had that uncanny ability to hit him in the _same freaking spot_ every time. It was unnerving, really. Or rather nerve killing, as he was sure he lost not only a few blood cells, but also some nerve endings.

"One day, I'm going to backhand you," he growled as he rubbed his bruising arm. "And once I'm king, I'm pretty sure I can do whatever the fuck I want to you, so- Do not hit me again!"

"Then stop talking."

It was Perdita and Mareth's turn to share a look, and his turn to shake his head. They just needed to let the children play out their drama so they could get back to real business. As Gregor and Luxa continued to fight, he leaned over to ask her something. Gregor frowned at that, as he thought that they were fighting as well, while Luxa only hit him again.

"Luxa, I swear to God-"

"Your threats have no value on me."

"I will slap you."

"And I will _kill_ you."

"-lunch with me today? I think that we need to…talk again," Mareth was saying to Perdita then who only nodded her head slightly.

"If you wish. I was not going to eat at the mess hall though. I-"

"That is fine. I can make you something, if that is the problem. You and your mother."

Kent, blocking out Gregor and his cousin then, looked over at Mareth and frowned. "Me too. I have to go with her everywhere, after all."

Mareth, who was still looking at Perdita, snorted. "What? Does he feed you too?"

Perdita made a face at that before looking off. "Perhaps you should eat alone, Mareth. Till you learn to curve your tongue. You have been rather rude, as of late. Professionally and personally."

"Me? I've been rude?" Mareth shook his head at her. "Maybe, Perdita, I am tired of you dragging some kid around-"

"He is not a kid, Mareth. He is going to be a soldier soon enough. He is just assisting me until-"

"What do you need him to do that I couldn't do?"

"Walk," Kent mumbled which got him a look from Perdita. Gregor, who was ignoring Luxa by that point as she was still going off on her little tantrum about…whatever it was that they were fighting over, made a face at the teen too.

"I have had enough of you, kid," Mareth growled as Perdita laid a hand on his arm again, sighing slightly. "You are not going to disrespect me, you little brat. I'll send you back to your mother and father in pieces before I allow you to do that."

"Yes, well, you would have to be able to _stand_ for that to be possible, wouldn't you?"

"You little-"

"Meeting's over," Gregor announced then as he had to jump up to avoid being hit again. "Or at least it is for me and Kent. Come on, buddy, time to go."

"But-"

"Gregor, you come back here," Luxa said as she stood too. "You-"

"No way. This is pure abuse at this point. Okay, so I threatened to leave you and called you a slut. And? That is not the time to attack me. That is the time to sit me down and discuss our feelings."

"Gregor-"

"Kent and I have to go now," he said as the boy stood up, still glaring at Mareth. Patting the teen on the shoulder, he said, "Come on."

After they were out of the war room, Kent immediately asked, "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere that Mareth won't find you," Gregor told him before frowning at him. "Seriously, Kent, you need to leave Mareth alone. He-"

"While you were in the hospital, I saw how mean he is to her. He brings her out with him and then will blatantly spend time with another." Kent shook his head. "I am a far better suitor and-"

"Kent," Gregor sighed before glancing at him. "To begin with, they're not…courting or whatever. They're just friends. He teases her, yes, enough to make her mad, but she clearly enjoys it. She must if she keeps coming back for more, right?"

"Well-"

"And you're too young for her."

"I am not. I am an adult. I can-"

"She's old enough to be your mother."

"She is not as old as Mother."

"No, I mean…yes, Kent, she is not as old as Susannah. But she is old enough to be a mother towards you." Gregor glanced down at him as they walked along. "You are in Regalia. There are tons of young women that just wait around to be chosen by a young soldier. Why are you hung up on Perdita?"

"I do not like younger women," he said with a shake of his head. "They always wish to talk about their feelings and make you listen to their petty problems. As if I care about whether or not their father is making them do chores still or not. Like it matters to me whether or not they were able to get the new dress they want."

"Kent-"

"Hazard and I both resolved not to bother ourselves with them," he said. "When we were in the Fount. They are most boring and annoying. Hazard is going to get an in with the older women by owning them. Then, if things with Perdita do not work out-"

"They shall not," Gregor assured him.

"-he shall introduce me to some of his women."

Gregor shook his head then before saying slowly, "It is as I told Hazard, Kent. He shall not own any woman. Ever. That is a horrible way of putting it."

Kent just shrugged. "Okay. Then the women he employs. Do you like that better?"

"Well…yes, but he won't be employing anyone either," the older man added.

"Have you not heard of-"

"I have. And I assure you, that shall not be an acceptable career path for him. Even if I stay out of it, Luxa shall make sure it does not continue. It is a filthy job."

"Have you never…" He giggled then. "You've never gone to one before, have you?"

"Of course not," Gregor said, frowning down at him. "I am with your cousin. I-"

He laughed again. "Father says-"

"Your father has not been with another woman since he met your mother, so I do not know why-"

"Yes, but he says that that's because he had his fill before. He was a real man. He-"

"Kent, your father is a heavy drinker. I am certain when he told you all of this, he was drunk. Was he not?"

"Well…he is always drunk, so there's rarely a time we talk when he is sober."

"Then see? He would not say something like that in front of Susannah."

"So? She is just his wife. He is not afraid of her. She-"

"I assure you he very much is, but that is not the argument we are having right now."

"Father is not afraid of anything."

Crying. Gregor had seen that first hand.

"Anyways, Kent, the point is, Hazard's not going to…employs whores and you are not gong to be with Perdita." He shivered at the thought of the last one. "Why would you want to be?"

"What do you mean?"

Gregor glanced at him before slowly saying, "Perdita and I are friendly, fine, but…do you truly find her that attractive?"

That made Kent frown at him. "Yes. Of course. Do you not?"

"Well…" Gregor scratched the back of his neck. "She's kinda…reminds me of a guy, so-"

"She does not!"

"I didn't mean it in a bad way," Gregor told him, glancing around at the teen's outburst. They were alone in the hall though. "She's just…boyish, I guess. She's not…womanly. Like Luxa."

"Like Luxa's a prize."

"Hey-"

"Besides, Perdita is very mature. Like me."

"Like you," Gregor said slowly. "You're mature."

"Yes."

"You," he repeated dryly. "You're as matures as Perdita, the head of the military, who can resist smiling at the cutest child in the world or the funniest joke or even-"

"Yes. We're just as mature as one another." Kent looked up at Gregor. "Mareth is just a complication. One that it is my duty to solve. And solve him, I will."

* * *

><p>"It is good to see you up and walking again, Overlander."<p>

"That's actually what I wanted to see you about," Gregor said as he approached Nike and Aurora in the High Hall. They had both been gone all afternoon and he was afraid they were actually in the flier land, which kept him from going anywhere. "Both of you, I guess. I need you guys help with something."

"With what?" Aurora asked him.

"I need you to take me to the Dead-"

"Luxa already told us that we were not to take you anywhere. And she specified that the last place we are ever supposed to take you again is the Dead Lands," Aurora told him. "So tell me that you were not about to ask that."

"I am the King now, or have you not heard?"

"You are not yet," Nike reminded him. "And to us, you will not be _the_ King. You will be _a _king."

"Not to mention, we will always fear Luxa more than you," Aurora added on. Gregor only gave her a look.

"You know as well as me that you will never fear Luxa."

"Either way, Nike and I both agree that you should not being going out anymore," Aurora told him then. "You are supposed to be resting."

"Your head is still wrapped," Nike pointed out.

"If you guys won't help, I'll just-"

"How did you get away from Luxa anyhow?" Nike asked. "I was under the assumption she was watching you."

"I was with her cousin, Kent, and when he had to go find Perdita again, I might have neglected to find Luxa."

"Then get to it, Overlander."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, turning to walk away. Stupid Luxa, trying to keep him safe and whatever. How dare she think that she could control his life? It was ludicrous.

"Here you are, Gregor. I've been looking for you."

"Yeah, I figured," he grumbled as he came into the royal wing to find Luxa in the sitting room, Zander in her arms. She was trying to get him tired for his nap, no doubt. "What's wrong with Zander?"

"He's too whiny to take his nap."

"Why isn't he still in the nursery?"

"I was finished in the war room and thought that he would like to be with me." Luxa sighed as the toddler let out another whine. "But he is only proving to be annoying."

"Let me see him."

"Gregor-"

"I'm not that injured."

She handed over the child slowly, who took immediately to the man. Gregor only bounced him slightly, making Zander looking at him. Then, slowly, he smiled before snuggling closer.

"See?" Gregor grinned at Luxa who only made a face. "I'm a better father than you are mother."

"Hardly."

"Here you are, Overlander." Nerissa was coming into the room then, having to use the wall as support. Luxa made a face when she saw her before going to help her sit down. "I have been searching for you."

"Nerissa," Luxa scolded slightly. "I told you that every time you and Gregor get together, you only succeed in working one another up about something foolish. I told you that when he is feeling better and you are better that you could-"

"But I had to ask him about the plans he was supposed to set up for me."

"What plans?" Luxa looked to her fiancé then. "Gregor?"

He couldn't help it then though as he only stared at Nerissa, who was smiling back at him. He only gazed blankly back for a moment as he watched her face. Then, slowly, he fell back onto the couch behind him, Zander landing in his lap. Pressing a hand against his head, he closed his eyes tightly.

"God, I get it now," he grumbled, peeking an eye open. "Why I couldn't place that guy before. Until I saw you, Nerissa. Now-"

"What are you talking about?" Luxa moved away from her cousin then and over to Gregor. "Overlander? What's wrong?"

"My head hurts," he told her as he let go of Zander, who just crawled away, onto the other part of the couch. Curling up, he went right to sleep. "I just…when I saw Nerissa, it made me think of what happened. Before I blacked out, back there in the Dead Lands."

"Yes? What about it?" Luxa glanced at Nerissa, but she had no answers and was staring just as openly at the dead warrior. "Greg?"

He turned his head when she moved to cup his cheek before slowly saying, "I recognized the guy. The one that knocked me out."

"And Nerissa reminded you of him?" Luxa frowned. "What-"

"Because you look like him, Nerissa," Gregor said, opening his eyes again though his head was pounding. He wasn't sure if it was from the memory or the fact that he just realized how big of a headache he was about to have to deal with. "You look just like your brother. I saw Henry. He knocked me out."


	12. Chapter 12

The Living Dead

Chapter 12

"It's understandable that Luxa does not believe you, Gregor. What you are saying, after all, is far-fetched."

He only stared blankly back at Perdita, who was staring down at the map, not even looking at him. After a thorough tongue lashing from Luxa about what a horrible person he was, for bringing up such a thing, and that he had better hope he really had a head injury, as that was the only way she'd forgive him for bringing up her long dead cousin, he had gone to the war room to speak with Perdita on the subject.

"Why is it far-fetched, Perdita? Aren't you guys that ones that always take Sandwich literally? Huh? You thought I was really going to die during the Prophecy of Time. You thought that we literally needed to travel to the jungle for the plague. The title of this one is Prophecy of the Living Dead. Why would that not-"

"Watch your tone, Overlander," Mareth warned from where he was standing, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were on Kent, however, who was busying writing a scroll for Perdita, standing far too close to her as he bent over the table, writing on the parchment. "Perdita is your-"

"I am the King in the coming days, Mareth. Watching my tone to the two of you is as dead as it is for Luxa."

Kent snickered. Perdita only sighed.

"My point is this, Overlander," she began again, slowly, shooting Mareth a glance. "You were hit over the head. Hard enough to knock you unconscious. There is no telling what you truly saw. It was dark, yes? Only firelight?"

"Yeah, but-"

"I am not saying it is impossible, but it is unlikely." She looked back at the map. "And I have already told you that I have scouts investigating the area. I do not know what more you want from me."

"I _want_ someone to believe me."

"Believe that a boy that by many accounts fell to his death onto the sharp rocks below is alive?" Mareth shook his head. "It is-"

"The living _dead_. That would imply that he had to be dead before, right? That means that he was brought back to life, huh? That-"

"Calm down," Perdita sighed before shaking her head. "You are taking a defensive stance with us because Luxa was offensive with you. We are not trying to go against you. We might not be on your side either, but it shall do you no good to fight us either."

"Can I speak?" Kent looked to Perdita who shrugged slightly.

"No," Mareth answered for her, but he just ignored him.

"What do you want to do then, Gregor?" Kent asked him. "If Henry did come back? If the scouts can't find him, then what do you want Perdita to do?"

That made her glance down at the boy, as if shocked that he understood her predicament, before nodding and looking to Gregor.

"You are going to be the King," she added on. "As you have told us already. If you want to go somewhere, do not waste my time by asking my permission. If it is your desire to make it seem as if I agree with you, that you should be sent back out there, you are fighting a losing battle. I will not fight Luxa for you. She is to be your bride, not mine."

"She is also pregnant, Gregor," Mareth added on then. "It is not good to cause stress to-"

"Do not tell me what to do with my life, Mareth."

"I am not trying to," he said before glancing at Perdita. They shared a look. Luxa must have really gone off on him about the whole Henry thing. He was completely ticked at them and they hadn't really done anything to him.

"Gregor, we are to be your advisors," Perdita told him then slowly. "As we are with Luxa. And Mareth and I both thought that you would be…kinder than Luxa in that department."

"Less of a tyrant."

"Kent," Perdita hissed, but he only shrugged.

"That's what you called her the other day," he grumbled.

"Go back to only being seen."

Mareth only sighed. "If you want to go, Gregor, I am certain a flier will take you. Not Aurora or Nike, but someone will. But do not look to us to defend your position to Luxa. I think that right now, she is overly worked up over the child, wedding, and the possible Reclaimer. You telling her that her dead cousin is back from the dead probably wasn't the best of decisions at the moment."

Gregor only glared at him while Perdita rolled her eyes.

"Luxa is with child, fine, but that does not make her a different person. If the Overlander truly saw who he thinks that he did, then she should be the first to know. And she was. She is only lashing out at him because she always lashes out at him. She's never nice to him. Never. You are acting as if she is-"

"You cannot deny, Perdita, that Luxa is emotional as is. In her current state-"

"Women get pregnant all the time, Mareth. Honestly. You sound-"

"Do not start with me again. Arguing with me. You-"

"Excuse me, _General_, but you are addressing your-"

"Why is it you suddenly feel the need to bring that up constantly, Perdita? Since this…kid has shown up."

"I'm not a kid," Kent grumbled.

"What are you suggesting, Mareth?"

He looked off. "I only find it suspect that you suddenly feel the need to establish dominance when a young boy is involved."

Kent giggled at that word. Dominance. Gregor only frowned, looking back in forth between Mareth and Perdita. He had come in there to get someone on his side against Luxa and was leaving worrying about whether or not it was time for finally one of the two of his friends to finally resign from their position. It was becoming abundantly clear that Perdita and Mareth just couldn't work together. And considering Mareth also couldn't work with Barrett, maybe it really was time to send him off to the Fount.

It was a battle then, between the red tint that was spreading across Perdita's body over whether or not it was from anger or embarrassment. Anger won out.

"You are _not_ my equal, Mareth," she finally got out, glaring so heavily at him that Gregor had to look away. "You are not even a competent soldier, much less general. Luxa favored you because you trained her and I…I cared about you so I allowed it, but you never should have been made a general. You could not even take two eleven year olds out in a boat without coming back minus one leg. You-"

Gregor didn't know what to do then, when Mareth slapped Perdita. He really didn't. It was actually a rather different situation. Many men in the Underland were still very old-fashioned in that way. It was commonplace for the most part. The only problem was that not only was Mareth not Perdita's…anything, really, but he also was under her charge. He was a man, fine, but her standing highly outweighed his. Highly.

There was one amusing factor out of the whole thing, which was Kent's reaction. Given how much he had boasted before about taking Mareth out of the equation and how he was only a complication, it was actually sort of funny to see him look downright fearful of Mareth, as if the thought of having to defend Perdita's honor, actually fighting the man then was terrifying. It did not shock Gregor that Kent was a mixture of York and his wife. While York spoke much, he was always able to deliver on threats. Susannah, however, could hardly fight to save her life. Unfortunately for Kent, he had gotten the loud mouth, but not the brave heart.

Gregor was glad that Perdita found her voice first, because his was lost. He knew that Perdita had been out of line, most certainly, speaking ill of Mareth's amputation (and not just because he was truly the one at fault for that one), but Mareth certainly out of line for striking her for many, many reason. Most of which came from Gregor's upbringing in the Overlander. That was not an acceptable thing anymore. At all.

"Go, Mareth," she finally said after reaching up and almost touching her no doubt stinging cheek. Instead, she was able to find composer at least somewhat and turn away from him. "Go-"

"I did not..." He was just staring at her then, as if shocked himself that he had done that. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, after all. "Perdita-"

"Do _not_ interrupt me. You will be lucky if you even have a job in the morning. Leave. Now." She did not even look at him. "I have finished with you, Mareth."

He moved to touch her then before only shaking his head and turning away. "Fine. Even though you are the one that-"

"Go. I'm sure your whores miss you."

Gregor made a point of staring down at the map as Mareth passed him, even when he felt the older man's eyes on him. Was not his fight, was not his place.

Though she had sounded very clear and direct with Mareth only moments before, the second he was gone and she spoke, it did not come out as crisp.

"I must…I need to go," she finally got out as she stepped away from the table. Kent, out of his trance, started to follow her when she moved to walk away from the table, but she shut that down quickly. "_Alone_."

So then it was just Gregor and Kent in the war room, both equally useless in that department in that moment. Slowly though, Kent found that rage that had been doused by fright.

"He's lucky that he left," the teen remarked then. Gregor only frowned, glancing at him, his mind elsewhere at that moment. Then he registered what Kent was saying. "If he had not, I would have-"

"Kent, enough. I get it. You think you're tough. I've got bigger headaches right now, alright?" He only shook his head and turned to leave the room as well. "Go get drunk in the mess hall or something. The adults are tired of babysitting you."

For once, the teen didn't have any smart remark to make back. He only conceded and allowed himself to be left behind.

* * *

><p>Gregor found Luxa in bed, though it was still a few hours too early for that, Zander there with her. The boy was clearly over the whole nap thing by that point and was busy playing with some of his toys on the bed while Luxa only laid there in the darkness, watching.<p>

"Mareth struck Perdita," was the only thing Gregor could think to say, after all Luxa had said to him earlier in the day. "Just now. In the war room."

Luxa only laid there, her back to the door, not speaking for a few moments, Then, slowly, she said, "She does get quite mouthy."

"Luxa-"

"Go away, Overlander. And take your petty problems with you. What do you wish for me to do about the two of them fighting? Huh? Force one of them out of position? Then I would be an evil woman. If the two of them wish to work off their…frustrations with one another in violence, fine. I am not a part of their personal relationship. I only hope Perdita hits him just as hard back."

He still just stood there to the doorway of her bedchamber, watching her. Slowly, he came to walk forwards.

"Am I allowed in here now?"

"I did not kick you out, Overlander. You ran with your tail between your legs because I would not fall for your-"

"Luxa, I'm not lying. That guy I saw was-"

"I feel ill, Gregor."

"Lux-"

"I do."

He finally went over to his side of the bed then, slowly moving to lay down. Zander greeted him with a loud noise before going back to his playing. He was rolling some of his toy cars around on the bed, an action figure or two up there as well. Luxa had become rather lax about him having Overland things.

"Tell me what's wrong. Is it your stomach?" Gregor only stared at her. "Or is it what I said?"

"I do not-"

"Luxa-"

"You were rather crude, I feel."

"I cannot help it if-"

"Do not speak." She looked off then. "It only serves to annoy me further."

Rolling his eyes, Gregor looked at Zander, who only continued with his play. "He sees well in the dark."

"He grew up in it," Luxa pointed out softly, shifting slightly on the bed so that one hand was strewn over her stomach. Then, slowly, she said, "We are going to have to let Mareth go."

"You said-"

"You know as well as I that Perdita would allow him to kill her, if she thought it would bring along more affections." Luxa was sounded pretty damn emotionless about the situation as she added, "You cannot work with your friends. It does not always show immediately, but eventually, it shall."

"Luxa, he almost got himself and Andromeda killed that first day I came to the Overland. For me. And then he went on the trip with me. With us. To fight the Bane. And lost his leg. We-"

"We cannot do things out of guilt, Overlander," she told him softly. "Not when they affect the entire realm. You are going to be a king. The King. You must-"

"But they're friends," he argued. "And, okay, so they fought. So what? They-"

"They are not a team any longer, Perdita and Mareth. They have almost become bitter towards one another in the passed year. The banished changed us all. She was hurt that he wished to leave and he had spent all these months trying to make it up to her. He cannot. If they cannot see in their own life what they are doing to one another, then lucky them they have to the two of us."

"We're not-"

"I have known them both since I was young," she told him then, softly. "When my parents were…killed, so was Solovet's favorite general. I think at times that was more of a shock to her than anything else. It was Perdita, just a lowly soldier that managed to kill some of the gnawers in the royal wing. That's where they went after they killed my parents." She was staring at him then, emotion lacking from her face to her voice. "They were looking for me. That's the first place Solovet went, as she thought we had run and hid there, Henry, Nerissa and I, when the trumpets sounded, announcing the siege."

"But someone had hidden you away," he said slowly. "And York found you."

She only nodded slightly. "She saw Perdita there, fighting. Apparently, she was impressed. She always favors women soldiers though, I think."

"Makes sense."

Sighing then, she said, "Solovet moved her up then, straight to the position of general. That night. After we were found. I do not remember, but I have heard the story enough. It caused great jealousy among others that were passed over." Luxa looked back up at the ceiling, just shaking her head, as if bored in that moment, even though it was her talking.

"She talks about her enough. Reveres her," Gregor said slowly.

"Perdita idolizes her, I suppose." Luxa only shook her head again. "I do not… Of all the people I have lost, Solovet is not one that I would think of as missing much."

"She loved you, Luxa."

"She loved what I could bring her," she corrected. "And I do not blame her for that. Solovet was driven. She got power and found that she liked it. She was a skilled warrior in her time and was a very praised political mind. She knew what she wanted and got it. That does not mean that I liked her much."

"In all honesty, I hated her."

"She did lock you up. And technically give your mother the plague."

"In a roundabout way."

"Then again, she gave nearly everyone the plague."

"And she killed Ripred's children."

"Again, roundabout."

"And she ruined Hamnet."

"Not so roundabout."

"She locked you up that once too."

"No," Luxa said slowly. "You did that. She would not have. You did."

"To keep you safe."

"Lies. You just know that Aurora and I would have done far better than you in defeating the Bane."

"Probably," Gregor said slowly then before looking off. "You were more skilled than Ares and I anyways. You-"

"I did not mean-"

"If I could have anyone back…" He closed his eyes again. That wasn't true. Was it? What about his father? His grandmother? Vikus?

"When I…when I got back to the palace, after finishing the Prophecy of Gray, I prayed, Gregor. I pleaded. I begged for it not to be true." She rolled onto her other side then, giving him her back. He only stared though. "I cried for hours. Alone. In my room. Without Aurora even. All I wanted was for…for him to come back. For it not to be true. I even reasoned that perhaps, if you had only given him a chance, that he would have explained it to me. If there had been more time. That he could not have… How could that have been his plan the entire time?"

His own grief was diminished then as he only sighed. "Luxa-"

"I wanted him more than I wanted my mother. More than my father. I decided that I would trade everyone, my grandparents, York, Susannah, even Nerissa, if I could only…If I could have him. That's all I wanted. I did not even want him to be…be the real him. I only wanted him to explain it to me. For him to just tell me why he…how he could…"

"Lux, you don't have to explain it to me. I-"

She let out a breath then and Gregor could hear it. She was going to start crying. Truly the last thing he wanted in that moment.

"He cannot be alive, Gregor," she finally choked out. "Because if he is…if he is… Henry died, Gregor. And light is not restored to those who are dead. I do not care about what the prophecy says. I do not care what you think. I do not care what you saw. Dead is dead. If anyone should know that, it is I."

Even Zander could tell then from her tone that she was upset. This was not her normal kind of angry, yelling upset either. Concerned, he dropped his toys before crawling closer to her and patting her back gently with his hand.

"Lucka." He rubbed his face against her shirt. "Lucka?"

"Zander, no." Gregor reached out to pull him away, but Zander started whining. "You don't-"

"He's fine." Luxa slowly rolled back over, much to the enjoyment of Zander. He clung to her and, though she didn't hold him back, she did not push him away either. "He is the only one."

Zander settled in against Luxa then, curled up and clearly about to go to sleep. Though Gregor couldn't blame him. He and Luxa had sort of ruined his naptime before, in the sitting room, when they got into a fight over Henry.

Reaching down, Gregor knocked all of Zander's toys away, to the end of the bed, before moving closer to Luxa. She only stared at him then.

"You know that I love you and I would do everything to protect you from things that even I'm afraid of." Gregor rested a hand on her cheek. "But I know what I saw. I-"

"You know what you think you saw." She reached out then, though it was to stroke the bandages around his head. "You are not well, Gregor. You are weak now. Your mind, your body. You push yourself for silly reasons. Did I not ask you to not go off investigating? That if you didn't see Ripred, just come back?"

"You did, but-"

"And Nike told me that she tried to reason with you. That she feared something happening, but you would not listen to her. Why would you-"

"Luxa, I had to know. Ripred is-"

"You always have to know, Gregor." She finally glared at him, her tone taking malice again. She was getting ready to start accusing him of things. He could just feel it. "We are not twelve any longer. You are supposed to grow out of things like that. You-"

"Oh, like, you don't-"

"I don't, Gregor," she told him with a frown. "I do not go off gallivanting around the Underland, hoping to find something to do any longer. I have not even truly left the capital since I got back from the Uncharted Lands. Not for anything fun. You, though, are still an irresponsible, little boy-"

"Irresponsible? In what way-"

"If you died on me, Gregor, it would not matter. I would move on. I would get over it. I have lost and will continue to." She stared him in the eyes then as she said, "But it is not just me that you should worry about leaving behind anymore, Gregor. We are having a baby. We _have_ a baby now, truly. And you still-"

"I'm trying to make it safe for you, Luxa. Don't you get that? If something really is out there in the Dead Lands, shouldn't I-"

"No, Gregor. You should not," she said. "You should want to be with us. What good is it, Gregor, if you go and get killed doing something foolish-"

"I'm sorry, Luxa, that you suddenly want me here. That you suddenly want me in every aspect of your life. That you suddenly don't get off on sending me out to get killed. Sorry that-"

"Yes, I do suddenly want you here, idiot. We are suddenly going to get married. We are suddenly going to have a child, our own child. Or do you not realize that?"

Zander was whining then, more from them disturbing his attempt at a nap than that he actually cared about their rising voice level. He had gotten used to that long ago by that point.

Groaning, Gregor fell back onto his back then, staring up at the ceiling. Luxa shifted as well, though it was more to disentangle Zander from her. He just snuggled up to her stomach, eventually finding sleep.

"He is not sleeping in here tonight," Gregor grumbled softly. "When we really go to bed, he goes to his bed. He's not going to sleep in here forever, Luxa. He's a big boy. You use him more for your comfort, than he does you."

"_You_ will not be sleeping in here tonight if you do not stop bothering me."

He only let out a sigh before slowly saying, "Are we going to bed then? Now?"

"I am sure I should go speak with Mareth or Perdita or check in on Barrett. Something."

"And I should be…I should be… What should I be doing?"

"Whatever I tell you to."

Right. Rolling his eyes, Gregor said, "Well, what do you want me to do right now, Luxa?"

"I want you to tell me that…that you were wrong. That you did not see…Henry."

"I can't," he told her softly. "I'm sorry. I can't. If I'm proven wrong, fine. I'll say that I was wrong. But until then, I know what I saw. I know who I saw. Seeing Nerissa, it reminded me. I-"

"Not to mention that."

"Mention what?"

"You got her all worked up," she scolded him then. "You know that you did. And over something so-"

"Oh, whatever. She was thrilled. You know that she was," Gregor said with a shake of his head. "The little psycho. She-"

"Gregor!"

"I didn't…you know what I mean. You know that I care about your cousin too. I just meant-"

"Be quiet, Gregor. And sleep. You need it."

He snorted. "Sleep. Rest. You treat me like the kid now, not like we're having one."

"Just be glad that someone cares about you, Gregor," she sighed. "Always."

* * *

><p>"Gregor, you need to take your pain medication. It will-"<p>

"I don't need it, Howard. I do not have any pain."

Luxa rolled her eyes. "If we need to cause him pain, please, allow me."

"What happened to my other doctor anyways?" he grumbled as Howard slowly unwrapped the gauze around his hands. "Huh?"

It was the next day and the first place Luxa made Gregor go was to his checkup in the hospital. Ugh. She hadn't even let him drop Zander off at the nursery first. She made Hazard do that. Gregor was pretty sure that Luxa only wanted him to go to the doctor because she wished to prove that he was crazy, that he had been abusing his medicine or something. He hadn't though.

"Welcome to my world," Luxa mumbled softly.

"I am the doctor that is here," Howard defended. "It is early."

"I am certain a simple student could do a follow up, Howard," Luxa responded with a shake of her head. "However, if you are going to let me hit him, perhaps I will make you his permanent doctor."

"Don't I get some say in things now?" Gregor grumbled. "Or something? About to be the King and all?"

"No," Luxa told him flatly. "You are a foreign king. This is my kingdom. Everything you do will first be deferred through me."

Gregor only rolled his eyes. "So anyways, Howard, can I take these stupid bandages off my head yet or what?"

"Most certainly not."

"But-"

"He only wishes for them to be off so that he can go to the Dead Lands," Luxa said then with a shake of her head. "He thinks that if they are gone, I will believe that he is healed."

"Isn't going to the doctor, like, a personal thing?" Gregor made a face at her. "Can't you go somewhere else? Or do something else? Doctor patient confidentiality and all?"

She gave him a blank stare. "Do not make me pinch you."

Howard only sighed. "Luxa? Can you make him take his medicine then?"

"I don't need it," Gregor said then, frowning. "And I'm not taking something I don't need."

Howard looked to Luxa, who only continued to stare down at Gregor as he sat on the edge of the cot. Then, staring him in the eyes, she said, "Can you take it, Overlander? For the baby?"

"Luxa-"

"It will make me feel better," she told him then. "If you took the medicine."

"I do not want-"

"Please? I do not feel well as it is and-"

"Fine," he grumbled, looking off then. "I'll take the dame pain medicine. If it's that freaking important."

"It is."

He only frowned. "Isn't there, like, something you should be doing to Luxa too, Howard? Some sort of prenatal thing or something?"

"Be quiet, Overlander." Luxa frowned at him before looking off. "Besides, officially, I am not yet pregnant."

"And? You still are."

"Luxa will be getting a midwife eventually." Howard was staring at the cuts on Gregor's hand, shaking his head slightly while he was at it. "I pray for the woman that must take the position."

"You be quiet as well. Both of you." She crossed her arms. "I do not even know why I speak to either of you."

The war room was the next place they went. Gregor noted that Luxa was avoiding breakfast, but he let it go, figuring he'd just make her eat lunch. It'd all even out eventually. And she had said her stomach was upset before. He didn't want her to feel sick or anything.

…And he was totally a pushover for Luxa and her decisions.

Barrett was in the war room, but no one else was around. Part of Gregor was disappointed and part of him was also glad. He didn't know what he was going to do about the Perdita and Mareth situation, or even if it was him who should deal with it. Technically speaking, it would be Luxa's job, but she seemed rather indifferent to it. Knowing he would be the King soon though, Gregor wanted it dealt with as quickly as possible.

"Oy. Thought the two of you would be planning your wedding," Barrett remarked as they came into the room. "And Mareth and Perdita their divorce."

"You heard then?" Luxa snorted. "If he had struck me, I would have killed him, right then and there."

"Don't we have people to do that?" Gregor asked Luxa then. "Or are we supposed to be planning the wedding?"

"Oh, Gregor," she sighed. "You will soon learn that we have people to do everything for us."

"Speaking of which, some scrolls came for Perdita," Barrett said, gesturing to where they sat at the table. "Her little boy brought them in."

"Do not call him that," Gregor said with a frown. "His name is Kent. He's not a little kid either."

"Where is she, anyhow?" Luxa asked with a frown. "I know that yesterday was stressful, but she is not one to miss work."

"I asked the boy and he said that she is spending the day speaking with few soldiers."

"No doubt finding a new general," she remarked, but Barrett shook his head.

"He said that she got a scroll during the night from the area of the Dead Lands that the Reclaimer was first noticed. She thinks that she is going back there."

"She is not," Luxa told him with a frown. "She just broke her arm. I am not going to send her into the Dead Lands with a broken limb."

"Then I get to go?" Barrett asked then, staring at her. "Yes? The Overlander cannot, he is injured. And Mareth is on his way out. That leaves me."

"Hmmm." Luxa only stared at him for a moment. "I am not certain I see a reason to send someone there, but if you are so insistent, go. Being here is doing no good. You might miss the wedding, however."

Barrett's jaw set then as he looked off. "I think it is for the best. I am not one for those sorts of festivities."

Gregor only rolled his eyes then before heading over to the table. "So, who's going to do it then?"

"Do what?" Luxa asked.

"Fire Mareth."

That made her pause, just long enough for Barrett to speak up.

"Me. Gladly. Naturally."

"No." Luxa shook her head. "It is Perdita's job. She must be the one to do it. It is her that has the problem."

Gregor sighed. "Yeah, well-"

"Queen Luxa."

They all turned to look at the door as a messenger rushed into the room. He immediately moved to bow, but she only rolled her eyes.

"Yes? What is it?" she asked, making a face. "Something urgent?"

"It is your…son," he said, almost as if uncertain. "One of the nursery works alerted me to come to you."

"What's wrong?" Gregor asked, frowning. Even Barrett seemed concerned. "Is he sick?"

"No," the man said shaking his head. "He is in the hospital, however. I am not sure what-"

"What is wrong with him?" Gregor asked as Luxa quickly moved to exit the room. "If he's not sick, what?"

"I am not certain. I was only told to alert the Queen."

Groaning, Gregor headed off to follow Luxa, who was making a hast down the hall. It could not have been too serious, Gregor figured. Still, he just wanted to get to the toddler, to be abundantly sure.

Zander was crying when they found him, sitting on a cot in one of the hospital rooms, one of the male nurses trying to calm him down. There was some sort of rag in his mouth, no doubt being used to clot some sort of wound.

"What happened?"

Luxa made it to the room first, quickly rushing to Zander's side. There was another man in the room, caring for his own child who had a broken leg, though the child was probably around ten. Both the boy and his father sat to attention at the sight of their queen. Luxa didn't even notice them, honing in only on her own child.

"Another one of the children hit him, apparently," the nurse said as Luxa lifted the little boy up. "They were fighting over a toy, I think."

"A child split his lip?" Gregor asked, frowning as he stepped forwards to look. Zander had wrapped his hands around Luxa's neck, still whining.

"And older one."

"Who?" Luxa shifted Zander to one arm before looking at the man. He immediately began to stammer.

"I-I do not-"

"Luxa, calm down," Gregor sighed. "Is it just a busted lip?"

"No," the man sighed. "Two of his teeth were knocked out. Look. They were baby teeth, but-"

"Zander, look at me." Luxa moved then, grabbing the child's face before forcing him to open his mouth. His left front tooth and the one next to that were gone. "Zander..."

Gregor could tell that they had lost Luxa for the day, if not the next few days. It would be her new mission to seek out and destroy the family of the other child. He could just tell.

"His other teeth will grow back in," the nurse told her then. "The gums were cleaned. He should continue to suck on the cloth. It will soothe him. We just can't get him to stop crying is the main problem."

Zander was staring at Gregor then, over Luxa's shoulder, but he didn't reach out for him. Usually when he was hurt, he wanted Luxa. It didn't shock Gregor, but it did kind of hurt some. Again, it probably went back to Luxa's resistance to him for the most part. She didn't like him when he was crying, but if he was hurt and in tears, that meant that she wanted nothing more to do than coddle him and snuggle with him. And with an injury like the one he had at the moment, Gregor feared he'd have that attention for at least the next two days, if not more.

When they were done in the hospital, Luxa refused to take Zander back to the nursery. She claimed that he had suffered enough trauma for the day and should spend the rest of it with her. Gregor didn't feel like fighting her on that one and only agreed, even when she sent him back to the nursery to get his little stuffed tiger. It had somehow not made it to the hospital wing with him.

"Oh, Overlander. I am so sorry."

He frowned as one of the nursery works came up to him the second he made it into the room. He knew her name, he was certain of it, but it was escaping him. God, he sure was horrible at remembering things like that. Dulcet was there as well and started to come over as well, but Gregor only shook his head at both of them.

"It's fine," he told the woman as he looked around, hoping to find the tiger so he could just get out of the nursery. "Children fight. That is-"

"We do not usually allow the toddlers with the older children, but we were understaffed. I do not-"

"It's fine," he repeated, slightly louder that time before reaching out to pat the woman on the shoulders. He knew Luxa wouldn't feel that way and actually kind of felt bad for the woman. "I just came for his toy. The tiger."

"Tiger?"

"The…stuffed animal. Like a cat? With stripes? It's-"

"Here." Dulcet came over then, one of the younger babies in one arm, while holding out Zander's prized toy out to Gregor. "This is it, yes? It is from the Overland."

"Yeah." He took it from her before nodding. "It's his favorite."

"It's what they were fighting over," she agreed. "I should have noticed, as he does not interact with the other children, that someone was bothering him, but I did not."

"They're just baby teeth," Gregor reasoned. "They had to come out eventually."

The younger nursery worker, the one that had spoken to him originally, frowned slightly, giving him a long stare. "You do not sound to concerned."

"I am," he assured her as he looked down at the tiger before smiling at her. "About Zander. But not about you guys. Things happen. They're just kids."

The nameless nanny practically bowed to him then, which made him frown. Then she said, "You are a very gracious king already. Th-thank you, your grace."

She was blushing then while Gregor only widened his eyes. Since Luxa had announced the wedding, he had gotten some strong glances, some glares, and a few congratulations. No one in the capital, though, had truly called him their king. It was a first and it was very shocking.

"Bessie," Dulcet hissed. "You are embarrassing him."

Gregor only grinned slightly, awkwardly, before nodding at the woman. "Thank you. Both of you. And do not feel bad. Zander is fine."

"You are very kind," Bessie told him softly while Dulcet only nodded her head.

Turning to head out of the room then, Gregor shockingly enough found himself smiling for real that time. King. He was going to be the King. And not everyone hated him for it.

Maybe everything wasn't as bad as it seemed.


	13. Chapter 13

The Living Dead

Chapter 13

"Perdita. I was looking for you yesterday. Where were you? Barrett said-"

"I was with the soldiers. Solovet spent much time-" She bit her tongue then before looking up from the map. When she saw that it was only Gregor however, without Luxa, she only shook her head. "I spend too much time in here, I believe. It is time that I reinstate myself as the true leader of this military."

"Yeah," he said slowly as he came over to the table. "That's actually wanted I wanted to talk about."

"Oh?"

He came to a stop then, resting his hands on the edge of the table in front of him. When he did not immediately speak, Perdita looked up at him.

"What is it, Overlander?"

He only gazed into her eyes for a moment before shaking his head. "You know as well as I what I wish to talk about."

"I do not-"

"Have you taken care of Mareth yet?"

She looked back down at the map. "Yes."

"Good. I know it was hard to fire him, but-"

"I did not…fire him, Overlander."

"Then what-"

"I mean, I will," she assured him then before glancing up again. "Just not yet. I cannot yet."

"Perdita-"

"You are becoming the King in the coming days. I lose you as a general then. I cannot lose him as well. Not so quickly. I am still trying to find your replacement. I-"

"Can't you just move up the next ranking soldiers? Or-"

"I could, but Luxa would not approve of it. She does not like either of them. And I must have her approval of all things."

"Perdita-"

"It is too complex, Overlander, to just have an easy fix."

"He hit you," Gregor said slowly. "That's not-"

"And I have severed our…person relationship, but our professional one is not that easy. He will stay on until I find a general to replace him and you. It should only take a few weeks."

"Then he's going to the Fount?"

She paused before saying slowly, "I do not know. We are not longer friends. It is not my business what he chooses to do with his life. If he goes to the Fount, fine. Good for him. I-"

"You don't want him to go," Gregor said slowly. "Do you?"

"I-"

"He hit you, Perdita."

"I know. I-"

"No, Perdita. He struck you. That's not okay, alright? It was a dick thing to do. And I like Mareth, he's my friend, but maybe the two of you just need to-"

"You have no right, Overlander, to-"

"I'm trying to be nice to you. Trying to help you."

"I did not ask for-"

"It wasn't okay that he did that, Perdita. He shouldn't have slapped you. I-"

"Oh, but it was okay when you did it to me, Overlander?"

Gregor frowned then at the sound of Luxa coming into the war room. Ugh. She had taken Zander to be bathed after breakfast, but apparently she was finished with that. Great.

"You locked me in a dungeon with no medical assistance after you had your guards aggravate my head wound," Gregor complained as she came over to the table. "That was different than-"

"I do not see it that way."

Perdita, clearly just wishing to get off the subject, spoke then to Zander. Err, rather about him. She never did seem to speak directly to the toddler. She probably thought that it was a silly thing to do, considering how serious she typically was.

"I heard that he had quite the fall yesterday," the woman said slowly, more to Luxa than Gregor. The Queen only frowned.

"He did not fall," Luxa said as she dropped Zander in one of the chairs. "Another one of the kids hit him in the face because he would not give them his toy."

Perdita's eyes widened. "Oh. I just heard he got his teeth knocked out. I only assumed-"

"You should never make assumptions."

"Right. Of course."

Zander let out a slight whine then, but Luxa only gave him a look to shut him up. He set out to sucking on his little tiger toy, which allowed Perdita to see inside his mouth. She frowned at the sight of his missing teeth.

"It is not uncommon for people to lose teeth," she said slowly. "Children especially. He is lucky. They shall grow back, as adult teeth."

"I will still have the child's parent's head."

"Luxa-"

"Who did it?" Perdita asked, cutting Gregor off.

"I do not know. I sent Barrett to find out, as the Overlander is apparently too incompetent to follow my orders."

"That's a totally rude thing to say," Gregor grumbled, frowning at her. "I just don't see it as a big deal, Luxa. Kids hurt other kids. It won't happen again. Especially if you insist on never letting him go anywhere without you again. Is that the plan?"

"He is still hurting, Gregor. It was traumatic for him to-"

"You cannot be serious."

"Come, Gregor, let me knock your teeth out and then see-"

"I don't want Zander hurt either, Luxa, but-"

"You are useless to me. Be quiet."

Perdita frowned then before shaking her head. "In other news, the Reclaimer has been reported again and-"

"Barrett is going."

"…What?"

"I have decided that he in the only one that is viable for missions at the moment. Gregor is no longer going to be a general, you are injured, and Mareth is…Mareth cannot go. Barrett is going."

"I thought that I would go," she said slowly. "That-"

"Well, you thought wrong," she said with a frown. "You are injured. Not to mention you do not wish to miss the wedding, hmmm?"

"And Barrett does? Wish to miss the wedding, I mean?"

Luxa gave Perdita look for that, thinking that the older woman was making a slight towards her. Perdita only stared though, truly curious.

"I have a feeling that our wedding is the last place he wants to be," Gregor remarked before glancing over at Zander. "You okay, buddy?"

The little boy grinned at him then, giggling. He probably would have been fine with going back to the nursery that day, but Luxa insisted that he wanted to stay with her. That he needed to stay with her.

"Where is Kent anyhow?" Luxa asked, frowning slightly.

"I do not know. He never showed up." She only shook her head. "I have found my life to be easier when he is not assisting me anyways."

"You could always just tell him to leave you alone, that you do not need his help," Gregor suggested.

"He enjoys helping me," Perdita sighed. "I just have found that I do not enjoy him nearly as much. He is very annoying. Like having a child follow you around constantly."

Luxa looked down at Zander who only smiled back. "I know what that is like."

"If he was not Solovet's grandson, I do not think I would even entertain the idea of babysitting him."

Gregor only sighed. "So about the Reclaimer."

Perdita looked to him then. "Scouts report that the gnawers are excited, the ones in those caverns, about the reappearance of the Reclaimer. And word of the wedding has spread to them. I wish to get there immediately, to know what we are up against with the Reclaimer. The last place we want him to show up is the wedding, yes?"

"At least it would make it somewhat fun," Gregor mumbled. He usually would have gotten hit for that, but Luxa was too busy looking at the doorway. When Gregor glanced over there, he found Barrett coming into the room, a big smile on his face.

"Octavius."

"What?" Perdita frowned at him. "If this is your suggestion for Gregor's rank, no."

"That is not what he is talking about," Luxa sighed, glancing down at Zander again. "I forgot that Octavius had a son."

"A bastard," Barrett said with a shrug. "But some men rise to the occasion randomly."

"A bastard in the nursery. Unlikely, but no unheard of. What is the child's name?"

"J-"

"What are you guys going on about?" Gregor asked with a frown. "Luxa?"

"I told you, Overlander, that I was having him look into who struck Alexander."

"You lacked in that category, but I simply went and asked." Barrett shrugged as he came further into the room. "Now what, Luxa?"

"Now I am going to get that bastard out of that nursery."

"Luxa," Gregor groaned as Perdita only frowned. "Seriously?"

"He _hit_ my baby, Gregor. He must be punished. Severely."

Her baby. That caused him to pause before just shaking his head.

"How old is the kid anyways?" he asked slowly. "And-"

"I do not know. Around seven or eight, I would guess." Barrett shrugged. "I do not know Octavius well. I-"

"Ugh." Perdita had a very physical reaction that time. When she realized what she had done, she simply said, "I loathe that man. And the worst is he is in consideration for your position, Gregor. Or at least he should be."

"I should behead him, the way he raises his child," Luxa remarked as she shook her head. "Zander is a little baby. He would never hurt anything. He-"

"Luxa, he's eating a marker."

Frowning, she looked down at the little boy, who had picked up one of the tiny chips used to mark places on the map. He wasn't chewing on it as much as he was rubbing it on his no doubt sore gums, where he had just lost two of his teeth.

"Zander." Luxa snatched it from him, causing the toddler to cry out. His gums hurt and Gregor knew that, but he couldn't irritate them more than they already were. He did have adult teeth under there after all, ready to poke though in a few years.

"You guys need, like, a dentist or something," Gregor grumbled slightly, not liking to see Zander hurting. "A tooth doctor."

"Or we could all focus on the Reclaimer," Perdita suggested then. "That is always something to think about."

Luxa gave her a look before nodding her head slightly. "Barrett? Have you decided on men to take?"

"Why must I take men? The Overlander got to go off on his own."

"The Overlander was going on a personal mission," Luxa told him. "You are not. And I also do not like you. Now tell me the men that you are taking with you."

"I do not know. I thought that Eos and I would be able to just-"

"You will not."

"Luxa-"

"If you keep arguing with me, I will have the wedding now and then just send the Overlander out to take care of it afterwards."

Gregor frowned. "Is that really an option?"

One look from Luxa let him know that it was not.

Barrett only sighed then before shaking his head slightly and beginning to give off a list of all his top fighters. It was a concise list, only five men, all of which Gregor would have felt comfortable himself with leading into battle. He could tell that Barrett was kind of disappointed, however, about not going alone. He had a sinking feeling that he had planned to sneak off and go find Ripred himself, to impress Luxa. Gregor wasn't sure why he was still playing the game, as Gregor clearly had won. Luxa wouldn't leave Gregor now, now that she was having his child and they were getting married.

…Unless Barrett didn't want her to? But then what was it all about?

"I should go warn those men then, I suppose," Barrett sighed. "That I need them. And Eos thought we were taking off today, so I should go speak with her as well."

"Then go," Luxa said, looking back to Perdita. "You will leave early in the morning. I probably will not see you. Have safe travels. We cannot afford to lose any more generals."

"Have a nice wedding, Luxa."

That made her glance back at him, but she only shook her head. "That is the plan."

* * *

><p>"My mother and sisters are all coming. To the wedding."<p>

"Oh, good, Gregor. I was so worried."

"Luxa-"

"Have you gone to the doctor today? To-"

"No," he said with a frown. "That's not a daily thing, I don't think."

"You think wrong."

"Luxa-"

"Did they send you a note through the grate?"

"Yeah." He came further into the room. She was sitting at the dinning table, eating dinner for once without being prompted. She must have been hungry. "I told them to come the night before. Is that okay?"

"I do not care." Luxa nodded at the seat to her right. She was at the head of the table, after all, Zander on her left. "Sit."

"You know, don't I get that spot soon?"

"Be quiet, Overlander."

Zander greeted Gregor with his normal gusto before going back to his food. Smiling, Gregor patted the boy on the head before going to take his seat. Then something occurred to him.

"You know, the last time my mother saw Zander, she asked me if there was something…wrong with him."

"There is something wrong with him," Luxa commented. "He eats too much."

"Luxa-"

"Gregor, what do you want me to say? I thought that he would be learning things faster too. He is not. What do you want? To send him off to the orphanage?"

"Of course not." He gave her a look. "I just meant…maybe there really is something wrong with him. Like, mentally."

"What do you want me to do, Gregor? If there is?"

"I don't want you to do anything, Luxa. I just want-"

"I've tried, Gregor, to teach him to speak. I hate it, but I try. I read to him, I speak with him, I repeat simple words back to him-"

"You're getting angry at me for no reason. I just-'

"He can learn to talk. He has learned. A few words at least."

"I know. I know."

"Then why would you say-"

"Never mind, Luxa. God. Everything's always a-"

"Zander has never done anything to your vicious mother, so I do not know why she would-"

"She wasn't trying to be rude, Luxa. She just doesn't want-"

"If you do not want Zander, Gregor-"

"God, now you're just putting fucking words in my mouth." He stood once more, before he could even get any food. "Never mind, Luxa. Just never mind."

Zander called out a goodbye to him as he left, but stayed with Luxa. The kid was smart. He knew who fed and bathed him.

Gregor knew he had some options then. He could have gone to get checked out at the doctor, but that was never going to happen. And he hadn't seen Hazard or Nerissa recently, but the idea of seeing either was rather headache inducing. It was during times like that when Gregor missed Vikus the most. He would have known exactly what to do about everything.

So instead of any of that, Gregor went to do what most of the married men in Regalia did when they had too much to do. He went to go get drunk.

Mareth was the first person that Gregor saw when he went into the mess hall. He was over at his usual table, watching all the younger, drunker men in the open center of the room, speaking to women and living their lives. Mareth was just drinking though, no one around him, clearly moping.

"Hey, buddy."

Mareth didn't look at him as Gregor sat down. He just kept drinking from his mug.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Am I mad at you?" Mareth mocked. "Am I?"

"Mareth-"

"You did not even defend me to her. And then, when I tried to go and speak with her again today, thinking that maybe she would have calmed down, she told me that you said that-"

"I'm her friend too, okay? And you shouldn't slapped or whatever. She's, like, your boss."

"Our life is very complex."

"Not that complex," Gregor told him with a frown. "You like taunting her. You know that you do. You like bringing her around and then leaving with other women. You like how jealous it makes her. That's not fair to her, Mareth, and you know it."

"What do you know, Overlander?"

"I know that you didn't want to be in Regalia anyways. So now you get to go to the Fount. Good for you."

"I do not want to go anymore. I want to be here."

"Why? What's changed?"

"My opinion. I want to just stay here, in Regalia. Perdita cannot-"

"She can, Mareth. She can send you away. If you were anyone else, she very well would have struck you back. You get that right?"

He just went back to his mug, not saying anything.

"Look, Mareth, even if all this didn't happen, something had to change," Gregor told him slowly. "I mean, you guys aren't young anymore."

"Thank you, Overlander. So much."

"That's not what I meant," Gregor told him with a frown. "I just mean…you're cool or whatever with just being with a bunch of younger women. And that's fine. That's actually…that's pretty cool"

Mareth just stared at him. "What are trying to-"

"Just that Perdita isn't…she's not like you, okay? And it's funny for awhile, watching her get upset and try to hide that it hurts that you're not…interested in her, but it's over, Mareth. It's tired and trite at this point. She likes you, won't admit it, and now it's over. It's not a game anymore."

Mareth only rolled his eyes. "She doesn't…want me, Overlander. She just does not wish for me to be with other women. She thinks that everyone ever should just immerse themselves in the work of the dead Solovet and never worry about anything else."

"Then go, Mareth. Why is that so hard? You wanted to go. However many months ago, you were going to go."

"She asked me to stay. She-"

"And now she's asking you to leave. She's _telling_ you to leave." Gregor shrugged slightly. "And really, it's probably better for both of you."

"She can't take care of things on her own. She-"

"You thought she could before?"

"I wasn't thinking."

"And she has Kent now, so-"

"That damn kid." Mareth grunted as he finished his mug. "Damn Barrett for ever even suggesting she have anything to do with him."

"Don't blame Kent. You were the one who-"

"If it wasn't' for him, I would still be-"

"No one else made you hit her, Mareth."

"I didn't hit her," he said. "I would never _hit_ her. You make it sound worse than it is. I slapped her. She was out of line. She-"

"She is not your wife. You're not…courting her. You can't-"

"She cannot be with that young boy, Gregor, and you know it."

"Mareth, honestly? I do not think that Perdita is even interested in him."

"But he-"

"Kent's just a kid. A really, really dumb kid that for some reason and God if I know why, is stuck up on Perdita for the moment." Gregor elbowed him gently. "Don't worry. At my wedding, there'll be tons of women around that are his age. I will introduce him to as many as I can find. He is bound to realize that he does not really want Perdita."

Mareth only hunched over slightly. "She hasn't dismissed me yet. She says that she is looking for someone to fill your position and then mine."

"That's right. So you will be here for the wedding." Gregor gave him a look. "So try to stay away from the younger women, huh? Save some for Kent."

Mareth didn't smile. "She clearly does not want me to really go. She is only waiting for me to prove myself. Right?"

"What? N-No, Mareth. Wrong. Definite wrong."

"She must want to see me abstain from women."

"What?"

"You say that I am wrong for teasing her, that that is the real reason she is upset, yes?"

"That is not what I said nor meant. I-"

"She wishes to see me shape up, yes? That will make her happy?"

"Mareth, no. Leave her alone."

He was drunk though and it made perfect sense to him that Perdita would only be testing him, punishing him. She didn't really want him to go, after all. They had been through too much together. She was only seeing how hard she could push him before he never came back.

"I will go to her then. And tell her."

"Mareth, sit."

He just got to his feet though, laughing slightly. "Thank you, Gregor."

He couldn't just let the other guy go though and jumped up to follow him. "Mareth, wait for me. This is a mistake."

He tried to grab the guy, but Mareth was not completely balanced just from the alcohol. The last thing Gregor wanted to do was to cause his prosthetic to mess up or something. He was just going to have to follow him to the war room.

Perdita was there, of course she was there, with Kent, once again going over some scrolls. Mareth seemed just happy to see her and went over immediately. When Perdita saw him and Gregor together though, she feared the worst.

"What is wrong?" she asked, rising from her chair almost immediately. "Is it Barrett? Or Luxa? Or is the Reclaimer? Henry? What?"

"None of that," Gregor assured her as Kent only glared at Mareth. "We were just-"

"Is it the child?"

"N-No, Mareth is just-"

"I missed you." Mareth had to lean against the table to stay steady. "Did you miss me?"

Perdita frowned at his tone, glancing at Gregor, but he only shrugged sheepishly.

"M-Mareth, I-"

"It's okay. You don't gotta say it." He was grinning at her, that goofy one that he thought was attractive. And it was, probably, to the younger women. At the very least it always got Mareth someone to go home with. Along with the voice he was using though, it only made Gregor feel extremely oogy. It was clearly his seduction one and not meant for Gregor or Kent's ears.

When Mareth sobered up, Gregor was most certainly going to use the whole scene as ammunition. Most certainly.

"I'm sorry, Perdita," Mareth was saying then, staring her in the eyes, the table between then. Kent was standing up too then, glowering at the older man very heavily. "I did bad. So bad. And you were right. So right. You're always right."

"Mareth," she said slowly, only staring at him. "I think that you have me confused with someone-"

"I might have accidentally told him in his twisted mind that he just needed to apologize to you," Gregor said, stepping up as well to lay a hand on Mareth's shoulder. "I was just trying to get him to leave you alone and go to the Fount, but-"

"She doesn't want me in the Fount." Mareth was still staring at Perdita. "Do you?"

"Yes, Mareth, I do."

That made him laugh, looking down at the table. He wasn't really listening. When he looked back up, he asked, "Do you want me, Perdita?"

That was all it took to pick up women in the Underland? And Gregor had spent all his time being good to Luxa, taking care of Luxa, dealing with Luxa, when all he had to do was ask other women if they wanted him? That was the great pickup line of Regalia?

"M-Mareth-"

"She doesn't want you here." Kent was bucking up then, clearly noticing that he had the upper hand. Mareth was intoxicated. Kent could finally take him. "And if you do not leave-"

"Mareth, go home," Perdita told him then, staring back into his eyes. "Okay? I do not…_want_ you."

"'course you do."

"No, I do not." She glanced at Gregor who just shrugged again. "Mareth, I am not…interested in you, alright? Now leave."

"But-"

"If you go now, I will forget that this ever happened and never speak of it. Alright?"

"You do not…want me?"

"I want you to go home," she told him then. "I want you to realize that in the coming weeks, I will have found a replacement and you will not longer be here. I want you to know that we are no longer friends. So leave. Now. And come back in the morning ready to only focus on the Reclaimer and gnawers. Anything else is not of interest to me."

"Perdita, I said sorry. You can hit me back."

"No, Mareth, I-"

"Punch me. Right here." He poked his chest. "That's worse than what I did. Do you want to do that?"

"Mareth-"

"You want to do something worse? I will take it. Whatever you want, Perdita."

"I want you to leave."

"Will it make you happy?"

She frowned. "In this moment? Very."

"Can we…I don't…"

"I must work, Mareth. I am not like you or Barrett or Gregor. When you all go out to drink, I have to stay here to work. Because I am an adult. So go play with the young girls and have a wonderful night and then come back here in the morning." She looked back down at the table. "You should know how. You've been doing it for years."

"But I don't…you're angry," he said, glancing at Gregor for confirmation. "I don't want you to be angry at me. I thought we could…make up. We fought, I struck you, you tried to take my job away. Now we can kiss and make up."

"No, Mareth. We can't."

He nodded then, slowly before swallowing. "Okay."

"I'm sorry."

"I will…I will stay then. Until you find someone to replace me. And then I will leave. For the Fount. Will that make you happy?"

She gave him a dead stare. "The happiest."

"Okay." He straightened then, apparently content. "Okay."

Gregor went with Mareth back to his room in the palace, more to make sure that the man got there okay. Then he figured he had better go check in with Luxa. She had been rather disagreeable earlier, after all.

When he got to the royal wing, he found Luxa was in bed. He thought that she was waiting up for him, until he noticed that look her face and the way she was stroking her stomach.

"That bad?"

"I hate this. I hate being pregnant. I feel horrible."

He went to her bedside instead of getting in it, going down onto his knees so he was right next to her face.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Susannah told me that it was bad for her, when she had Stellovet. Howard was not bad, nor Chim. But that Kent and Hero were the worst."

Gregor made a face as he stared at her. Her grandmother and aunt both had had twins. The thought that she could possibly scared him horribly.

"What can I do to make you feel better?"

"Nothing," she told him with a sigh. "Nerissa, she wants to do some sort of…spell or something that she knows."

"Again, psycho."

"Gregor."

"She did some sort of voodoo on me too, once. That time when I was in the hospital after Vlad and them captured me the first time? I woke up to her doing some sort of chant."

"Witchcraft is outlawed and so is it's practices, but Nerissa spends much time in the scroll room. Like her mother. She knows many of the practices of old." She sighed then. "You smell like alcohol."

"I was with Mareth," he told her softly before reaching out to lay a hand on her stomach. She just laid there, above him, watching.

"Susannah's had a lot of kids," he told her then.

"And?"

"I'm just…worried, you know? About the actual, like, birth or whatever. I would trust it a lot more if you were up above, with real doctors."

His head got a thump. "Behave."

"You know what I mean."

"Susannah said the only birth she had a problem with was the twins," Luxa told him with a shrug. "Multiples are always hard. Hero almost didn't survive it."

"What about your mother and Hamnet?"

"Solovet did not like to talk a lot about the past, but Vikus never mentioned anything. He mostly spoke of how hard it was to raise two at the same time. And they had Susannah, I think, three years later." Luxa stroked the part of his head she had thumped. "They were not always so influential, Vikus and Solovet. They struggled much at first."

"What changed?"

"Solovet rose in ranks quickly, after Susannah was born. That is why she never wished for anymore children."

"What do you mean?"

"When she was pregnant with Hamnet and my mother, her rank had just been raised. Then that ruined everything. We do not allow women to fight pregnant for obvious reason."

"Yeah."

"So she did not have a job for those months. And Vikus was not…I'm not sure what he did, but it was not a good job, whatever it was. It might not even have been a job. I know he wrote."

"Wrote?"

"Poetry. I do not think he was successful at it."

"Who would ever buy poetry?"

"That is why he was not successful. They needed Solovet's job. And Miravet lived with them, I think. She always worked in the armory, I know that. But when Solovet got pregnant, she had no way to support them."

"What happened?"

"That is how Vikus got into politics. I know that. He has told me that story before. He was the assistant to a very high ranking man. He got the job through Solovet's connections in the military. Then somehow he wiggled his way into his own position. He always was a worm, Vikus was. A kind worm, a good worm, but still a worm."

Gregor smiled at her slightly. "You miss them."

"If Solovet was alive, she would have already figured a way to use our child to her advantage. And Vikus would have been most scandalized, until he was able to resolve that at least the child would be loved. And he always liked taking care of small children, he would tell me. It would be perfect."

Shaking his head slightly, Gregor said, "I never really got how they were ever together. They were so different. And she never seemed that interested in him."

"You saw them when they were old. Though I suppose Solovet was never loving. I could never see her that way, anyhow."

"It just doesn't make sense."

"What about us?" Luxa held up her hand and he easily laid his against hers. Together. "Most people would ask us the same question. We bring each other nothing. Especially when we are not at peace with other nations. Then you always find a sympathetic side with whoever is wronging us and you hate me."

"That is so slanted," he told her as he slide his hand against hers until his fingers fell between hers. Closing his hand around hers, he said, "And you know it."

She didn't grin, but closed her hand as well. "Hazard is going to be managing a brothel."

He widened his eyes. He had two options; act shocked or explain the situation. Then she spoke, ruining his chance to choose.

"I told him if that is the life he wishes for himself, fine."

"Really?" Gregor was as suspicious as Hazard probably had been.

"He won't live in my palace and he shall not speak with me nor recognize himself as my cousin any longer, but-"

"Luxa."

"I do not support that, Gregor. The only reason I do not outlaw it all together is because it lowers the crime rate in other ways."

"What other ways?"

"If disgusting men can pay a small fee for the woman to pretend to be raped, then it keeps them from actually raping."

"Not in most cases."

"In enough," she told him with a frown. "It is the same with gambling. If it gives down and out soldiers something to do other than causing trouble in the streets, fine. Do I condone it? No."

"You can't disown Hazard though, Luxa. He's like…our baby brother or something. We can't just cut him out of our lives."

"Why? He has cut us out of his. He wanted me to leave him alone and now I will. Now he can go and live however he wishes. He can go and do whatever he wishes." She wiggled her hand free of his. "I tried, Gregor, with Hazard. More than anyone. I am disappointed with the results and no longer wish to have contact with them."

Gregor only groaned before leaning forwards to stare into her eyes. "You love him. So much that it hurts. And it's okay sometimes, Luxa, for things not to go your way. You know that."

"It is an embarrassment."

"Sometimes family embarrasses you."

"Not in this way."

"It is not a wholly bad job. The women want to work there. And Hazard might even meet…a nice…girl there. Maybe. Err, it's possible."

Luxa only stared at him. "If he brings a woman from that…place into my palace, it will be the last time he steps foot in it."

"Understood."

She rolled onto her back then. "Get in bed, Gregor."

Standing, he quickly stripped down to only his pants before doing as she asked.

"Zander went to his own room okay?"

"He was tired."

When he was laying next to her, he quickly buried his head in her neck. Luxa tensed, but didn't push him away.

"I wasn't trying to be mean, Luxa, before."

"Greg-"

"No, listen, okay? I just want Zander to…be okay," he said slowly, not finding the words easily. "He's not good with the other kids. And then that one hit him the other day, I just…I want him to live a good life. If something happens to me and you, I want to know that he'll be fine without us."

"If this is your way of asking to go back to the Dead Lands, no."

"No, it's my way of telling you that I love our family and just want the best for all of us." He kissed her neck then. "I wanted Zander first, remember? I love him. He's mine too."

She only let out a slow breath as he laid a hand on her stomach. "Gregor."

"You want me to make you feel better? Huh?" He kissed her neck again. "I-"

"No. Seriously, no." She pushed his hand off then before shifting away from him. "I told you, I don't-"

"Please? I love you."

"That stopped working when we were seventeen. No."

"You're tricky," he grumbled before shifting on the bed so that his head was even with her stomach. He just kissed her side before pushing her shirt up slightly, enough so that her stomach was showing. "Fine then. You want me to rub your tummy? Huh?"

"Do not talk to me like Zander."

"You do want me to rub your tummy, don't you?" He grinned. "You just don't want me to know it. Is that it? Huh?"

"Gregor-"

"Poor Luxa." He smiled slightly. "Just don't puke on me and we'll be okay."

She flicked the back of his head again. "Do not tempt me."

They fell asleep like the eventually. Gregor had to curl his legs up so they didn't hang off the bed, but he was fine other than that. Luxa would randomly reach down and toy with his hair, but she fell asleep first. He just kept stroking her stomach though, just wanting her to feel better. He did really love her, after all.

They were able to sleep through the night too, Zander not bothering them once. That in itself was an accomplishment. Luxa was even so tired that they slept a little later than usual in the morning, neither waking up until they were forced awake by a loud commotion.

"Luxa! Luxa, are you still sleeping? Are you in here?"

"We have got to be a better royal guard together," she grumbled to Gregor who didn't move from his spot curled up next to her stomach. Kent just rushed into the room though, without waiting to be told to come in, a torch in his hand which made both Luxa and Gregor hide their eyes.

"Kent," Luxa hissed, holding a hand up. "What-"

"Ew, were you guys…ew. I have to vomit. I just-"

"What did you want?" Gregor forced himself to sit up finally with a groan. "Kent?"

"It's Barrett," Kent stammered before looking to Luxa, his mind finally back on track. "Perdita told me to come get you. I-"

"What is wrong? Have his men not left yet? I told him to leave-"

"They did leave though, Luxa, but then they were ambushed. Not an hour outside of Regalia. By gnawers."

"What? How is that-"

"Perdita told me to come get you both. She said it is urgent." Kent gave them both a solemn stare then. "She fears there is a traitor among the ranks."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this one took so long to get up. I started it, but then I wanted to put out some one-shots before I finished it. I think it's only been, like, five days though, so no biggie, right? <strong>


	14. Chapter 14

The Living Dead

Chapter 14

"How can I possibly move someone up when I cannot even trust the people that I see now everyday?"

Kent patted Perdita on the shoulder. "You can trust me."

"Seen not heard, Kent," Gregor sighed as he stood at the table, arms folded over his chest. "And Perdita, it's not just the generals that knew about this whole thing. Barrett's men knew, Luxa knew-"

"Yes, Gregor, I am foolish enough to go around telling everyone of what goes on in here." Luxa sent him a glare, though it was ruined as she was also snuggling Zander at the same time. He was rather fussy that morning. Gregor thought that his teeth were hurting him, the way he was whining. "If anything, look to Mareth."

"Excuse me?" Mareth, sobered up from the night before, looked about ready to go off on any of them. "Me? I had nothing to do with this stupid plan. And if I wanted Barrett dead, I'd do it my damn self."

"Mareth, enough," Perdita sighed as she continued to stare down at the map.

"No. I'm tired of being the one that you all-"

"It is your final weeks. Do not make waves now," Perdita told him with a sigh. Then she lifted her head to look at Luxa. "Has Barrett awakened?"

"No," she told the older woman, looking off then as Zander wiggled in her arms. "Of the two men that survived with him, one is awake, but he knows nothing. The Overlander spoke with him."

Gregor shook his head slightly. "He says that they were flying when one of the men noticed a group of gnawers. They were too close to the territory of Regalia for comfort and Barrett thought it best to go investigate. The second the fliers were close enough to get, the gnawers began jumping, ripping at their wings. Barrett sent the man that I spoke with back to Regalia to get help. That is the last he saw of them, as by the time he came back with the people from Regalia, it was over."

"Why did they leave Barrett and this other man behind instead of kill them?" Mareth asked. "Or did Barrett kill all the gnawers?"

"I don't know," Gregor said with a frown. "I guess that Barrett and his men won. I guess."

"Hmmm."

"What are you suggesting, Mareth? That Barrett asked to be attacked? To be put into a coma?" Luxa was glaring at him then. "If that is what you are suggesting, then perhaps it is a good thing that you are on your way out. You-"

"Luxa, he was just asking," Gregor sighed. "Calm down."

She ignored him. "The real problem isn't _my_ generals, Perdita. It is your damn scouts once again fucking everything up. You always mess things up with the people that you choose to raise in rank. You never do it based off anything real. You send scouts here and soldiers there without any idea what you are doing. You want to be Solovet? Well you failed. Again."

"Me? Me, Luxa? You are the one that sounds like a foreigner now. You are the one that cannot even keep your royal guard from falling apart, but less your army. If anything, Solovet would be disappointed in you, Luxa, not me. I am not the one bringing a bastard into the world, now am I?"

"That would involve a man being remotely interested in you and let's face it, Perdita. Even women aren't interested in you."

"Hey." Gregor gave Luxa a look while Mareth frowned and tried to lay a hand on Perdita's shoulder. She dodged him though.

"You're the same child you always were, Luxa. You are upset because your little lover got hurt and now you're going to take it out on me? As if I want another general to die? To be gone? So I have to start from the beginning? Are you that stupid?"

"Perdita," Mareth warned, but she ignored him.

Kent, for his part, was overly enjoying himself at the sight of his cousin and Perdita go at it. Gregor rarely saw Perdita snap like that, but he could tell she had been stressed and Luxa had just broken something inside of her.

"Am I that stupid? No, I am not. You are nothing, but a worthless lowborn that can occasionally swing a sword in the right direction. And recently, not even that. You just sit behind these maps and take credit for the things I do."

"You do? You do? What have you done, Luxa, but gotten us tangled up with the banished and now, once again, brought upon injury to one of your little…boys. If anyone caused Barrett to get injured or Gregor the thousands of times you send him out on frivolous adventures, it is you," Perdita accused then. "Admit it. You like when they are injured and need you and seeking your approval. It's pathetic, Luxa, the way you-"

"Enough. Both of you." Mareth grabbed Perdita's arm then, but she jerked away from him.

"You stupid, worthless, idiot." Luxa shifted Zander to one arm then as she glared the older woman down from across the table. "You dare insult me? I am your queen as well as your employer. And you might not be able to end Mareth's career, but I can easily end yours."

"Luxa." Gregor went to grab her by the shoulders then, but she just looked over his, staring Perdita down. Or at least attempting. The older woman only shook her head slightly before looking up at Mareth.

"Will you still take me and my mother to the Fount with you?"

Mareth looked shocked for a moment before slowly saying, "Well…if you want. But Perdita-"

"Then I'm moving to the Fount." She looked back at Gregor and Luxa. "Have fun replacing us all Luxa. And when your city fails, just remember, I tried to help you."

Mareth left with Perdita, who didn't look back once at them. Kent just stood around for a moment before quickly heading after them. Then it was just Gregor, the even more whinny Zander, and the beyond pissed Luxa.

"Lux-"

"I'll run my realm myself before I ever let someone like that tell me what to do."

"You have got to go apologize or something."

"I do not have-"

"Luxa, we can't do this alone. You know that. Perdita is-"

"You will be my acting head of the military for the next three days. Then we will be married and I will make Barrett my head. If he is not awake yet, I will bring one of his top men to the position until he is."

"Barrett. You think that I am going to let Barrett be-"

"You will you do as I say, Gregor," she said, her eyes meeting his. "And if you will not, you might as well go join the little traitors in the Fount."

* * *

><p>"His gums seem healthy," Howard remarked as he held Zander's mouth open, inspecting the area that his two teeth used to be. "He sure is whining about them though."<p>

"He's just a baby."

"He really is." When Howard let him go, Zander turned his head, looking away. "What's wrong, Zander? You don't like me?"

"Lucka?"

"Luxa's busy," Gregor told him with a sigh. They were in Zander's bedroom, Howard coming by around the little toddler's naptime after he got off duty at the hospital. He wanted to get a good look at the boy, he said. Gregor also knew though that Howard really wanted to look at him as well.

"I heard that there was quite the commotion this morning, after the news of Barrett broke," Howard said slowly as he gave Zander a pat on his head before reaching into his pocket. He had come prepared, apparently, and had some sort of a pastry for the toddler, who happily took it. Then he looked at Gregor. "With Mareth and Perdita?"

"Well, they both quit, so…"

"What are you going to do?"

What was he going to do? Right. Because al of Luxa's problems were Gregor's to fix. Duh. What was he thinking?

"I think I might have to, you know, go to Perdita's place. I went by Mareth's room, but they weren't there. I think I just need to smooth things over." Gregor shook his head. "It's not like I can really let Perdita and Mareth just leave."

"Yes. Kent tells me that he has been being a very big help to Perdita. He will be most lost if she leaves."

Gregor frowned then before shaking his head. Did Howard not…know?

"Uh, I think your brother thinks that he's going back to the Fount with Perdita and Mareth."

"What do you mean?"

"Howard, do you and Kent not…talk or whatever?"

"Talk about what?"

Gregor used to wish for an older brother or even a younger one. Being stuck with two sisters your entire life wasn't always a blessing. In some regards Hazard had taken the younger brother role and Howard the older. But he always thought that a real brother he would be able to talk to better. He would tell everything.

…But apparently Howard was the same with Gregor as he was with Kent. Huh.

"Kent kind of, you know, has a, well, crush or whatever on Perdita."

"He wants to crush what?"

"No. Like…like he has…" Gregor scratched the back of his head. "He sort of thinks that he's in love with her or something. I'm not too-"

"Perdita?" Howard frowned, looking around the room before back at Gregor. Then, in a softer tone even though they were alone, he said, "Perdita? Are you for certain?"

"Yeah, I know."

"She is too old for me!"

"I know."

"She is too old for-"

"I know, Howard. Okay? I thought that you knew."

He only shook his head slightly. "Why would he…what…"

"He says that he likes, uh, err, well, that he is too mature for younger women."

"Kent. Kent said this?"

"I know."

"It would be one thing if she was…someone else. But Perdita is not…" Howard sighed. "Gregor, you have to have heard what people say. I always assumed, like most others, that she was not interested in…men."

"Other than Mareth."

"I've always thought that she was just possessive over him. And the way she carries herself…I just thought…everyone always says-"

"That is a very costly rumor to be spreading, Howard," Gregor said with a frown. "If she is, fine, whatever. In the Overland at least. Here, you guys aren't the most becoming of new things. So it would probably help if you stopped saying it so much."

"I'm just…amazed that Kent would…enjoy…Perdita."

"Yeah, you're not the only one."

"Is she…accepting towards him or-"

"I do not think she understands that he is…interested in that. Mareth though is very upset over it."

Howard let out a long sigh. "Then perhaps it will be best that Perdita leave for the Fount, so that Kent can stay here and officially join the military."

"I'm not going to screw Perdita's career because your brother's trying to get all perverted with her."

Howard gave him a look for that before just shaking his head. "He is only confused. Yes. Confused. And I will…err…Father will talk to him. When they come for the wedding. They will be here tomorrow, after all, to introduce Stellovet to her prospected husband. While he is here, he will talk to Kent. He will explain things to him."

"York. You want York to explain women to your brother?"

"Why not? My mother is younger than my father by nearly ten years. He will explain to him the importance of marrying younger."

"York," Gregor said slowly. "York will explain that."

"He has never strayed from his marriage. Why would-"

"I don't really think marriage is Kent's concern."

"Then just let Kent and Perdita…do whatever it is that they are going to do so he can get it out of his system and move on with life."

Zander was finished with his treat by that point and wanted some attention. Gregor only sighed before leaning over to kiss his head before moving to tuck him into his bed, making sure his little tiger was right next to him.

"Go sleep. I'll leave a torch, okay? So it won't be dark. I have to go talk to Howard now, alright?"

Zander whined a little when Gregor and Howard got out of the room, but didn't get out of bed to go after them, which was always a good thing.

"Where's Hazard?" Howard asked as they walked into the sitting room. "He's still in Regalia, yes? I have not seen him in a number of days though. Usually when you are injured, he is under your feet trying to do things for you."

"We're fighting."

"Over what? The child? The wedding?"

"No, Howard, he's not you."

"I-"

"He wants to help run a…brothel at the East Wall."

Howard sat down at that one, on one of the couches. Gregor took the other.

"Oh. That is certainly an…ambitious career endeavor."

"Luxa's ticked. I don't know how she found out, but she did. She's trying to disown him."

"Well, that's a complete lie. The boy would have to kill her before she turned her back on him."

"Yeah, I know, but it's what she says."

Howard only shook his head. "What has made him decide to go this way in his life?"

"He can't…you know that he's…well, Hazard's awkward."

"Extremely."

"And he thinks that it will be a good way of meeting women."

"That's one way to look at it, I suppose."

Gregor only shook his head. "Anyways, though, I really wanted to ask you about, uh, my bandages."

"Your head wound?"

"Yeah. I mean, I don't wanna have them on when, well, when my mom gets here, really," he admitted. "But at the wedding either. I know Luxa isn't like a normal chick, but I don't wanna ruin her wedding day either."

"They are rather…obvious."

"Yeah. And-"

"If you are dumb enough to think that I care about this stupid wedding more than your health, you are delusional."

Gregor grimaced at the sound of Luxa's voice, not even turning to look as she appeared in the doorway to the sitting room.

"And I highly doubt your mother would rather look at the scar you are going to have on the back of your head when the bandages are removed either." She came into the room then, easily falling onto the couch next to Gregor. "You will get them off when it is time."

"That was my question, Lux, though, before you showed up," he said with a frown before glancing back at Howard, who was only staring at his cousin. "Are they ready to come off yet, Howard? If not, then when? Do you know?"

He was just staring at Luxa though. "Where were you, Luxa?"

"Hmmm?"

"Where were you?"

"Checking on Barrett and the other injured soldier." She shrugged slightly. "Not that it is any of your business, cousin, but I care about my soldiers."

"Just not your army head."

She only shrugged slightly before looking at Gregor. "Where's Zander?"

"Napping."

"Where were you really, Luxa?" Howard was not letting up.

"What is your problem, Howard? I was with-"

"Barrett is in surgery again now and I know that for a fact. So where were you?"

She bit her tongue, Gregor could tell, before looking off. "Did I say Barrett? I meant I went to visit-"

"Tell me the truth. You cannot lie to me."

"Howard, I do not know what you are-"

"I know what tomorrow is as well as you. And if you are trying to ruin my sister's marriage-"

"Oh, please." Luxa rolled her eyes. "The man's age and your sister's age is what's going to ruin the marriage. The fact that she has already had her fair share of men is going to ruin-"

"Luxa, shut up." Gregor gave her a hard look then while Howard only set his jaw. "Seriously, Luxa, what is your problem today?"

"My problem? I have no problem. Everyone else is taking defense when I tell the truth," she defended. "Stellovet has been with many men. It is not a secret. It will serve to make her wedding day less painful, I suppose, but-"

"Luxa is not feel well," Gregor said then, standing up. "Really, Howard, she's not. Today. Or yesterday. She's really hurting, you know, about the baby."

Howard ignored him though as he stood. "I have about tired of you, Luxa, and your-"

"Oh, be quiet, Howard. It was a joke. You are always so serious about things." She shook her head. "I was not even bothering Stellovet's new husband. I do not care about her new husband, much less her. I was dealing with Octavius. So leave. Now. Before I get angry with you as well."

Howard still only stared at her for a second before speaking, though it was to Gregor. "Come see me in the hospital before your mother arrives. When we change your bandages that day, I will decide if you need new ones or not."

Gregor only nodded slightly. "Thank you."

"Good day, Overlander. Luxa."

Gregor let him leave in silence then before addressing Luxa. She had that defiant look on her face, ready for whatever he was about to throw at her.

"What is wrong with you?"

"I-"

"No, Luxa, really. What is wrong with you? What wires are crossed up there? Huh? Two people in one day? You have pissed two of our friends off in one day? And there's no telling what you did to Octavius-"

"His bastard is not going to harm my son, Gregor. I-"

"You're unbelievable." He let out a slight, humorless laugh. "Truly."

"I- Where are you going?" she asked with a frown as he got to his feet. "Gregor-"

"Zander's napping. You're watching him now."

"But where are you go-"

"To go fix another one of your mistakes." He turned and headed out of the room. "Unbelievable."

* * *

><p>Walking through the streets of Regalia was kind of fun. It had been awhile since Gregor had done so and since news of him being their new king broke, many of the people were ecstatic to meet him.<p>

Well, some were. Others, not so much.

Still, the children were the most excited. And as Regalia had been at peace technically for months at that point, all of the kids had much free time. They were out playing in the streets and running around when Gregor was out there. Most of them were very happy to greet him and some even ran up to touch him, just to be able to say that they could. Gregor decided then that no matter what, when he did become the King, he would never walk around with guards like Luxa, not if it could hamper that sort of reaction.

He still wanted Luxa guarded, of course, but he knew that he could take care of himself. And if people actually accepted him, actually wanted him for their king, then how would he look, never spending any time with them one-on-one? Guards would only get in the way.

By the time he got to Perdita's home, Gregor had learned way more names and promised many children too many things to keep it all straight. He just knew that he would need to come out of the palace more often and get to know them all. The children were the only chance Regalia had, after all. And if Gregor got in good with them, then he was pretty much set as the King.

The partition to Perdita's little apartment was open when he got there, allowing him to see inside. The first thing he noticed was Mareth sitting on the couch, with Perdita laid partially over him, her head rested in his lap. When Gregor opened his mouth to call out his entrance though, Mareth raised a hand to him before putting a finger to his lips. Perdita was sleeping.

"Hey," Gregor whispered as he came in. Mareth only nodded at him. "I wanted to make sure you guys were…cool or whatever."

"I promise you are the last person she wishes to see," Mareth whispered back. "Well, your fiancée is the last person. You are the second to last."

"I'm sorry. I just…you guys know that you can't leave. For a lot of reasons." Gregor came further into the apartment, glancing over at the corner. With all the torches in the apartment then, he was able to see Perdita's mother, sleeping in her bed. "I mean, you can, if you want, fine, but Perdita is the head of the army. She can't quit."

"Luxa made it very clear-"

"Luxa is fighting with everyone today. Believe me. It was nothing personal against Perdita. She's just…worried about Barrett." Gregor hated the way those words felt on his tongue. "She's upset and is taking it out on everyone. And maybe there is something wrong with the scouts. They should have known about those gnawers. So Luxa wasn't completely wrong."

"I never said she was. But she is not going to treat Perdita as if she is…trash."

"But you can. Right?"

Mareth laid a hand on Perdita's head as she laid still against him. "We have reconciled, Overlander. And I will not harm her again, so-"

"Funny, isn't it, how this is what it took for the two of you to make up?"

Clenching his jaw, Mareth said, "I do not know what you are implying, Overlander, but Perdita asked me to come home with her today. I did not…capitalize on you and Luxa ousting her."

"We did not oust her. Or at least I didn't." Gregor only glared back at him. "Where is Kent then, Mareth? Did he not leave with you?"

"I am not his sitter. I do not know where-"

"If the two of you wake my mother the way you woke me, I am going to be very upset." Perdita sat up suddenly then, blinking before focusing her eyes on Gregor. "What do you want, Overlander?"

"Well, in short, I want you to come back to the war room so that we can get back to work on finding out what those gnawers were doing or planning."

"I have been relieved of my duties and-"

"You know as well as I do that you have not. So come back-"

"Mareth and I are moving to the Fount." She shifted on the couch so that she was sitting next to the man, who only crossed his arms, staring back at Gregor. "And off his retirement and the money I have, we will be able to find my mother a much better place to stay."

"Together. The two of you are going to live together?" Gregor snorted. "Oh that will do wonders for your horrible friendship, won't it?"

"Who asked you, Overlander?" Mareth stood then. "I think it is time that you go."

"Luxa wants to make Barrett head of the army, when he is well. Me until the wedding. Do you really want that to happen, Perdita?" He was only looking at her then, knowing that there was no way to talk down to Mareth. He had wanted to take Perdita to the Fount with him for awhile by that point, after all. "What would Solovet say, knowing that you just gave up? When-"

"I did not give up. I had no choice, but to leave. Luxa was-"

"I get it, okay. You're stressed about the Reclaimer and Henry and Luxa's all messed up about the wedding and the baby. Then you throw Barrett into it and she's upset. And now you're upset with her. Which is totally understandable. I'm upset with her right now actually," Gregor said. "But you can't turn your back on Regalia. Do you really want to live in the Fount anyways? The Fount? I know you well enough to know that you hate the Fount more than anyone."

"Well, I do not hate it," she said slowly. "I just do not like the idea of it, I guess, but Mareth says-"

"Do you honestly think that Mareth is going to care anything about you when you get there if he does not even now?"

"Watch yourself, Gregor." Mareth stood then glancing down at Perdita. "We are going to go the Fount, Perdita, and you know it. It is what we both want."

"You want to uproot your mother then?" Gregor asked her. "For Mareth? The two of you are not even…together. He just wants to bring the two of you along so that he does not feel guilty."

Mareth walked over to Gregor then, laying a heavy hand on his shoulder. "You are going to leave now, Overlander, before I-"

"Were you not the one that told me that you were finished with him just yesterday? Remember when he came into the war room? Drunk? What about that?"

"We…" She glanced at Mareth before shaking her head. Gregor knew what had happened anyways. To begin with, he had a feeling Perdita never planned to really get rid of Mareth. She was just angry with him. Then when Luxa started yelling at her, she just fell back on him because that was what she always did. It was just out of habit. "Mareth and I are very happy as we are."

"Yes. Here. You're happy here. But in the Fount-"

"Luxa does not even want you back, Perdita," Mareth argued then, tightening his grip on Gregor's shoulder. He was trying to hurt him. "That is why Gregor is here. I guarantee that she will not want you back. You know who will always take you back? Me. I am ready to go to the Fount today to go finalize on a place for us. For your mother. And with our combined finances, we will be fine. The Overlander is only trying to save himself. He knows that the army will fail without you. He-"

"That's exactly what I am doing. I am not trying to hide it." He finally shoved Mareth off him. "I care about your wellbeing and I do not think you will be happy in the Fount, but you are grown. If you go, then you go. But I also know that we cannot run the army alone, Luxa, Barrett, and I. We can hardly eat dinner together, the three of us, without fighting. You are the one that keeps us whole. You can't leave."

"I-"

"What about Solovet's army? You are ready to watch that crumble without you? She left it for you. It was yours when she left. It is yours now. You are the only one that she would trust with it. You're willing to throw that away because Luxa was acting extra bitchy one day? Seriously?"

Mareth knew then that he has lost as Perdita got to her feet, nodding her head. He looked ready to hit Gregor, he was so angry, but resorted to just letting out a loud, frustrated groan. It was loud enough to wake up Perdita's mother, who immediately called out for her. She actually did shove Mareth slightly for that, before going over to check on her mother.

"Why would you do that, Gregor?" Mareth hissed at him when Perdita was out of hearing distance. "I-"

"It's not like you were going to, like, marry her or anything. You were going to take her to the Fount so you could tease her some more with other women. You know you were. So do not act as if I stopped you from doing some sort of gallant deed, Mareth."

"You have no idea what I was-"

"You were going to stay away from all other women then? In the Fount?" Gregor snorted. "Yeah right. You know as well as I do that you couldn't do that. You would be with all those other ex-generals and would get carried away. You're all she has, dude, and you do a shitty job at making her happy."

"Oh and Luxa is so happy with you? Explains why-"

"Luxa isn't Perdita and I'm not you, so-"

"Yet you seem to want everyone to be just as valiant as you. As pure as you." Mareth snorted. "Get over yourself. You killed more than me. You have so much blood on your hands that it's up to your elbows by now. Shoulders even. You look down on me, on Barrett, on York, on anyone for not being you, but it's really just you trying to make yourself feel better. You're just as guilty as everyone, Gregor. The weight is yours to carry too. So you only have relations with Luxa. You think you make you a better man than me? Do you? Do you really?"

"I sent my mother's nurse away for the day."

Gregor glanced over at Perdita, who was speaking loud enough for them to hear. She was still looking at her mother though, over in the corner.

"I have to find someone to stay with her. I-"

"I am fine, Perdita," Gregor heard her mother say then. "I can-"

"No, Mother, you can't. Mareth, will you-"

He shoulder checked Gregor then as he walked passed him, which about got him killed because Gregor was more than over playing into him at that point.

"I'll stay with her," Mareth said as he went over to Perdita. Touching her gently on the shoulder, he said, "If that is what you want."

"That is…This is what I want."

"Fine." He let out a long breath then. "Go with the Overlander."

"Mareth-"

"It's your job, it's your life."

"You are not mad at me?"

He only shrugged. "Go. It's going to take a lot more to get Luxa on your side again than just mentioning Solovet."

She hugged him then, rather hard, but Mareth didn't seem to mind. He only patted her on the back and promised that when her mother's night nurse showed up, he would head over to the war room to check-in on her.

"You ready?" Gregor asked when Perdita came over to him. She just went to get her sword belt, which she had taken off, before nodding.

He felt bad for her, really, as even though he knew she would be unhappy in the Fount, he also knew that she wasn't completely happy in Regalia. Not really. It was situation where you'd lose either way and at least the way he wanted her to go, Regalia would thrive under her leadership. And that was a win in some regards.

Right?

* * *

><p>"Here you are."<p>

"Here I am."

"I need you to come with me to the war room because-"

"Gregor, can you tell?"

He frowned. "Tell what?"

"Can you tell? Like tell?"

Coming further into the room, Gregor walked over to the bed, where Luxa was sitting on the edge of her, her shirt rolled up slightly. Zander was behind her, playing with some toys while singing, err, making noises.

"Can I tell what?" Gregor came to stand in front of her as Luxa only sat up taller, holding her shirt up higher. "What's wrong?"

"It is bothering me. Can you see it?"

"Your stomach?" He reached out to pat it, but she batted his hand away.

"Gregor-"

"Showing? Are you showing? Is that what you want to know?"

"Yes. Can you see it?"

"Do you want me to be able to?"

"No."

"Then no."

"Gregor-"

"What's wrong, Luxa?" He stared down at her. "Huh? Is that why you've been so bad today?"

"I am not a child, Gregor. I was not bad."

"You were bad. You were very bad. Wasn't she, Zander?"

"Lucka. No."

"Yeah. Tell her no."

"No."

"He's telling you no, idiot." Luxa dropped her shirt then. "If you did not know I was pregnant, could you tell? That is what I am concerned with."

"No, Luxa. I couldn't."

"What about in a dress?"

"I don't know. No, probably not. Why? Are you afraid of the wedding?"

She nodded slightly then. "I do not want…it is already rumored, I am sure, that this is why we are getting married. And I just-"

"I love you," he told her then. "You know that. And would we be getting married right this second without you being pregnant? No. But eventually, yeah, probably, we would have. You know that. I've told you that before."

She only shook her head though, not saying anything. Gregor looked behind her then at Zander, who was still happily playing with some of his toys.

"Hey, Zander, come here for a second."

He glanced at Gregor before picking up his tiger and crawling over to the edge of the bed, lifting up his arms to be picked up. Gregor only shook his head before sitting down on the edge of the bed as well, pulling the toddler into his lap. Luxa was watching him though, curious.

"You know Luxa's about to have a baby, huh, buddy?"

Zander, knowing he was being spoke to, lifted his eyes up to Gregor and just watched him. Luxa frowned though.

"Gregor-"

"He has to know eventually, Lux."

They had never explicitly told Zander about the pregnancy. Part of it was because neither of them thought that he would understand what they were trying to tell him. The other part of it was it was just so new for both of them. Still, Gregor figured one way to make Luxa less self-conscious about it would before Zander to know what was going on.

"Lucka." Zander was done with Gregor and reached out to pat her.

"You know what a baby is, Zander? Huh?" Gregor kissed the top of his head to get his attention again. "It's in Luxa's tummy. You know that?"

Zander only opened his mouth before giggling and reaching over to poke Luxa's stomach. "Tunny."

"T-Tummy?" Gregor bounced him slightly. "Is what you said, buddy, huh?"

"Tunny." He looked up at Gregor before grinning at Luxa. She slowly started to smile too. "Tunny."

"That's close enough." She reached over to grab Zander's cheeks in her hands, grinning back at him. "When did you learn how to say that, Alexander? Huh? Were you hiding it from us?"

Zander could tell then that they were excited about what he had said and began to repeat it. "Tunny! Tunny!"

"Good job, buddy. Look at you. I'm all worried about you learning to talk about you knew all along." Gregor nuzzled the top of the toddler's head, which only made the boy laugh louder. "He can say tummy, Luxa."

"I know." She reached over to take him into her own lap, Zander only snuggled up against her, patting her stomach.

"Tunny."

Luxa lifted him then with both arms, almost cradling him. Then she lifted him up, so his stomach was in front of her and she was able to blow a kiss on it. Zander loved this and batted at her head with giggles.

"Lucka!"

"Is that your tummy? Huh? Zander?"

"Tunny!"

"Yes, it is." She kissed it again before slowly setting him back down in her lap. "Oh, baby. Little baby."

Zander smiled at Gregor then when Luxa snuggled him up to her, but Gregor only stared at Luxa, watching her. She seemed to be in a better mood in that moment, probably due to the fact that Zander had just learned a new word. That always excited her. No matter how hard she played it, she loved Zander.

"Hey, Lux?"

"Mmmm?" She was still staring down at Zander, stroking his little arm as he sat in her lap, content.

"You made Howard and Perdita pretty upset today."

"Mmmm."

"So…"

"I will speak with Howard tomorrow, when his mother and father arrive. I have to see the rest of his family anyways."

"And Perdita?"

"Of course she is not truly going to leave, Gregor," she sighed. "We both said things we should not have. I will have to go…speak with her. Maybe even…even…"

"Apologize?"

Luxa only swallowed. "If it comes down to it, I very well might."

"Well, I have some good new for you then."

"What do you mean?"

"I might have left the palace today and-"

"Gregor-"

"No need to apologize!" He tried to sound excited, like it was some big, great surprise. "I already did."

She was not excited, though his tone did make Zander clap his hands and giggle, thinking that Gregor was still all worked up over his big word reveal.

"She is here. In the war room." Luxa clicked her tongue. "That is what you were talking about when you first came in here."

"Yep. So let's-"

"Gregor-"

"-go see her. Come on, buddy." He reached to take Zander, who easily went over to him. "I know someone who wants to hear all about the new word you can say. You wanna go see Perdita? Huh?"

"Yes! Tunny!"

"Good boy." Gregor stood then before looking back at Luxa. "Come on. Let's-"

"I hate you, Overlander."

"Yeah, well, you love me too, so it all turns out okay, huh?"

She only stared at him for a moment before slowly getting to her feet. "You are lucky I am in a relatively good mood, else I would have gone ahead and gotten rid of her just to spite you."

"Yeah," Gregor sighed. "I had been afraid of it. But Zander's got my back, don't you, buddy?"

"Tunny."

Gregor kissed his cheek. "You're so smart. Isn't he smart, Lux?"

"You are not going to distract me, Gregor."

"Yeah, well, it was worth a shot."

"Tunny," Zander repeated then, as if to test the waters and see if they were still excited for him. Luxa just took him into her own arms with a sigh.

"He wants to distract you too."

"I've noticed." Luxa stared down at Zander, who responded by kissing her cheek. She only said, "Why do you have to always take your Father's side?"

Gregor smiled then because she could not be that mad at him if she was talking like that. And Zander was even happier when Luxa finally set him down and let him run free. Both Luxa and Gregor allowed themselves to enjoy that moment too, because they knew that the days leading up to their wedding would be spent dealing with that gnawer ambush and its consequences.

Because if the gnawers wanted to get that close to the gates just to attack Barrett, there was no telling what they would do the day of the wedding.


	15. Chapter 15

The Living Dead

Chapter 15

"Susannah is not feeling too well," was the first thing York said to Luxa and Gregor when they got to the capital. "She won't be here until later, the day of the wedding. Unless you need her, Luxa, and then Rhea is ready to go back and get her right now."

Luxa was just standing there, Zander clutching her leg, glaring over at Stellovet, who returned it heavily. Hero for her part was most excited to see her twin and rushed over to him almost immediately. When she tried to hug him though, he just held up a hand, holding her off.

"Knock it off," he whispered to her with a hint of a hiss. "My woman's here."

Hero took to looking around while Gregor only sighed. Perdita was in the High Hall, though she was speaking over in the corner with one of her scouts and his bond. Kent was clearly trying to impress her, but Gregor wasn't so sure she had even noticed his presence.

"What is wrong with her?" Luxa asked York then with a slight frown. "Is it something bad?"

"Just a cold, I think. I wanted her to come to Regalia, so I could care for her, but she told me she would be more comfortable at home."

"You can return to the Fount, if you'd like," Luxa told him then, slowly. "You are of no help really, Uncle, with preparations for the wedding."

"Nonsense. I have to talk to the Overlander about very important things."

"Such as?"

"Manly things, Luxa." York came over to pat her on the shoulder before looking down at Zander. Reaching into his pocket, York produced some sort of sweet, which Zander readily took. When he opened his mouth though, York frowned.

"What happened to the boy's teeth?" York reached down to pat him on the head. Then he looked to Gregor and Luxa. "Tell me. Now."

"We didn't do it," Gregor said with a frown. Was York…accusing them? "A boy in the nursery struck him."

"Hmmm." York was content then and went to pat Gregor on the shoulder as well. "When does your family arrive?"

"Not till tomorrow."

"We are actually quite busy, Uncle," Luxa told him slowly then. "Perhaps your time would be better spent introducing…Stellovet to her new husband?"

"There is time for that later," he said, glancing back at his daughter, who had come to stand behind him, a cross look on her face. "If something is going on, let me help you. What is wrong?"

"Too much," Gregor mumbled, but York heard him and frowned.

"Let us go to the war room, yes?" York looked down at Zander again, waving at him slightly before glancing at Kent and Hero. "You two look after the child. I-"

"I can't, Father. I am working. Hero and Stellovet can," Kent said before nodding over at Perdita, who was still speaking softly to the scout. She was about to send him out on a mission. "You know that I am her assistant."

"Right. Well, Hero, watch your… Luxa, what is the child to my children?"

"Cousin, I suppose. But York-"

"Good. Hero, watch your cousin. Stellovet, you help her. Your father has business to attend to." With that, York headed out of the room, calling out to Luxa that he was going to find some ale to take to the war room with him before he arrived there. She only shook her head before looking to Gregor.

"Why would you do that, Gregor? Now we are going to have to put up with him."

"I just…" He sighed before looking to Hero, who was staring curiously down at Zander. He was just focusing on eating his treat. "Hero, do you really want to watch him? You don't have to."

"I can," she said slowly before looking up at Luxa. She knew that her cousin wasn't particularly fond of her and was clearly hesitant. "If you want me to, Luxa."

"He is not very…vocal for his age," Luxa said slowly before pushing Zander's head slightly. He just held up his little tiger that was in his arms, thinking Luxa wanted that. When she shook her head no and pointed at Hero, he toddled over.

"Tunny." He held up his tiger then, grinning at her. Hero smiled back at him while Stellovet just looked on with disinterest. Luxa narrowed her eyes at the other woman before looking at Gregor.

"Let us go then. We will be in the war room, Hero, if he needs us. You can take him to the royal wing, if you'd like. Or-"

"Tunny." Zander was focused on Rhea then, pointing happily at her. He liked fliers for the most part. "Tunny."

"We're gonna go, buddy." Gregor went to pat Zander on the head then before nodding at Luxa. It was best to leave him when he was distracted. Luxa only shook her head before leaving with him, which Gregor actually kind of glad for. The past few days, it was hard to get her away from the kid. And then you add in the fact that she was going leaving him with Stellovet and Gregor was actually surprised.

The walk to the war room was silent. Luxa had been bothered most of the day though with thought of gnawers and Barrett. She and Perdita hadn't fully made up, but they hadn't gone at each other yet that day, which was something, as they had spent the whole day in the same room.

Perdita had spent her day triple checking scout reports, trying to find discrepancies in any of the information, as to smoke out the rat. It was the second time in less than a year that she was charged with this task and Gregor could tell that it was bothering her, the fact that one of her men might be the snake in the group.

When they got to the war room, York was already in there, seated in Luxa's spot, drinking while looking over the map. Luxa made a face when she saw this before glaring at Gregor, but he only shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Kids, good, good. Was waiting on you." York took a long sip of his mug. "Checking out your, uh, markers here, Luxa. You stop sending messages to the Fount or have I become illiterate?"

"Things change too quickly to-"

"To send a message just an hour away?" York shook his head. "Promise me, Gregor, when you are the King, you won't treat the Fount as secondhand trash."

"I do not treat it that way."

York waved a hand at Luxa before drinking some more. "You thirsty, boy?"

"N-No, York," Gregor said slowly as he came over to the table. "Are you sure that you want to be in here though? I thought that you would want to be with Susannah, if she's sick."

"I do,' he assured him. "But she does not like for me to be around when she is sick. And she wants one of us to be able to introduce Stellovet and Lycos."

"Lycos? That is who she is marrying?"

York nodded at him. "It is the plan as of now. Of course, she could always tell me no, like Hero continues to. I will not force her to do something she truly does not wish for. Either of them. But if Hero does not decide what she wishes to do with her life soon, I am going to get very upset with her."

"Just because she does not wish to marry does not mean she is doing nothing with her life," Luxa told hi with a frown as she came over to the table.

"Oh, it doesn't, Luxa?"

"No. It-"

"And I'm sure you know so much about life outside the palace, yes?"

"I-"

"Susannah and I cannot care for Hero for the rest of her life. That is the purpose of marrying off your daughters. So someone else can care for them."

"Hero can care for herself," Luxa said with a frown. "She does not need a man to-"

"Oh? She can? And what is she going to do, Luxa? She hates war and refuses to be a soldier. She has no skills, she has no-"

"She will come and stay in the palace with me, York, if you are going to act in such a way. I will need a…nanny for Zander and the next baby when it comes. She will be my personal nanny."

York snorted at that, sitting up more. "Hero. You want Hero to be your nanny."

"Yes."

Gregor looked at Luxa then, but she only nodded at him. He could see it in her face though that she was running off emotions. She really didn't care for Hero much, but she also did not like the way that York was talking.

"Take her. Take her now." He took a long sip from his mug. "I'm sure I'll be sending Rhea to pick her up not two days after I'm back in the Fount. Hero doesn't stay away from home long. That's why all the men I've tried to marry her off to have been in the Fount. She needs to be around Susannah and me. You'll see."

"No, York, you will see."

Great. Now Luxa was fighting with York. For his part, her uncle only stared at her in amusement for a moment before standing.

"Your seat, Luxa," he said, nodding at it before going to take another seat. Luxa thought he was teasing her though and only frowned.

"We stand during meetings. You know that."

"I know that you are pregnant," he said before nodding to the chair. "Sit. Now."

She glanced at Gregor, but it was just his turn to shrug. Rolling her eyes, she finally went to go take her seat, nodding at him to take his.

"Where are the other generals then?" York asked, slinging back some more of his ale. "And where are all the guards anyhow? Do you even have a royal guard anymore?"

"Guards are costly to secrets," Luxa told him with a frown. "And Barrett is hospitalized, Perdita is busy with her scouts, and Mareth is slowly on his way out of the military."

"Hn." York nodded at some of the scrolls. "Those the messages that you never send me?"

"Those are Perdita's. Some of them. She's been reviewing Solovet's attack plans and such."

"Hn. And why is Barrett in the hospital then?" York gave Gregor a really twisted grin then. "Something I should no about?"

"Most certainly not," Luxa told him with a frown. "He was ambushed by gnawers outside the gate-"

"Do you just tell me nothing anymore, Luxa?"

"I am sorry, Uncle, but there is a lot to handle in Regalia and-"

"And the Fount is not of importance to you then?"

"The Fount is your domain. And you do a fine job watching over it. I do not see why I would need to trouble anyone in the Fount with-"

"I am supposed to know of what goes on here, Luxa. And I know that you are mad at me about how I…reacted to everything, but you cannot keep things from me."

"I can do whatever I wish, York. Never forget that."

He just grinned again. "What are you going to do, dear? Take the Fount from me? Ha. You are your father. You know that?"

"York-"

"Lennox always tried that, taking the Fount from me. It wasn't nearly as cute as when you try to, Luxa."

"You have long outstayed your welcome. I think that you-"

"Is this a pregnancy thing?" York looked to Gregor who only stared straight ahead. "Or are you just in that bad of a mood?"

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Wedding stress? Something. It has to be." York leaned back in his chair then, kicking his feet up onto the table. "Susannah was all annoying too, before I left, but that was because she's sick. You should hear her, whining about her stomach."

"I thought you wanted to take care of her?" Gregor asked with a frown.

"I do. But it is just like with Luxa. She is annoying me now, but I still want to be here for her."

"You are drunk," Luxa accused then causing York to laugh.

"Not quite, dear. Trying to get there though." He shook his head slightly. "Susannah, she told me not to bother the two of you while I'm here. Not to bother you too much, Luxa. The baby and all. She worries about your health."

"She should not. I am not a child. I do not need-"

"You do not have to be a child, Luxa, for Susannah and I to care for you. And you are foolish to think otherwise."

Luxa didn't say anything then and Gregor only sighed. Not a minute later, Perdita came into the room, Mareth on one side, Kent on the other.

"My favorite son." York held up his mug. "Refill this for me, eh? I set the jug of ale over there, near Luxa."

"I'm working, Father."

"Do as he says, Kent," Perdita sighed as she came over to the table. York had taken Barrett's usual seat, which was good as it did not disturb Mareth or Perdita. After refilling his father's drink, Kent went to get his chair that was in the corner, left over from before, and set it on the other side of the table.

"You let him sit here?" York laughed then. "You shall take good care of his twin then, Luxa, if you deal so well with Kent. He's far more annoying."

"We do not," Mareth said then as he pulled out Perdita's chair before his own. "The Overlander insists on it."

"I am Perdita's assistant," Kent grumbled. "I should really be sitting next to her, but-"

"I wish to begin telling you about the things I have discovered with my scouts," Perdita began. Then she looked to York and frowned. "Is…he staying?

"He wishes to," Luxa sighed.

"What happened to your arm then? And Gregor's head?" York made a tsking noise. "A broken arm, a wrapped head, a hospitalized general. You're doing mighty well without me, Luxa."

"York-"

"I broke it on a mission," Perdita told him then. "I thought you knew."

"Why would I have known?"

"You were here when she returned with the broken arm," Gregor pointed out. York frowned before drinking some more of his ale.

"Was I? Huh."

"Maybe if you drank a little less, your memory would return to you," Luxa told him with a scowl.

"No, it's too late for me." He nodded at Gregor then. "This though, I know this did not happen while I was here."

"He was attacked by a human-"

"Henry. I was attacked by Henry," Gregor said then. "While I was in the Dead Lands."

York slammed his mug down that time. "Now I know for damn sure my memory's not gone on that one. That boy is dead, Overlander. What are you-"

"It's the prophecy. The Prophecy of the Living Dead. It-"

"Nice little family reunions even after dear old Solovet's dead." York picked his mug back up. "I doubt you really saw him, Gregor."

"How would you even know? I-"

"See? Even York agrees with me." Luxa crossed her arms. "I-"

"Luxa, you're only on board with what he's saying because it's the same thing you said. If he was on my side, you'd call him a drunk and kick him out."

"Yes, well, let us all be happy then that he has sided with me."

"Are you not even slightly concerned that you have the drunk on your side?"

"Enough," Perdita finally told them, sending both Luxa and Gregor a look. "The point is that I have begun fact checking my scouts, and I think that it is best if I go inspect a few things myself. I-"

"With a broken arm?" York grinned then. "I'm assuming that is your sword hand."

"Not that it is any of your business, but yes, it is."

"So you are going to go out and investigate things when the perfectly healed Barrett could not even get passed the gates." Gregor snorted. "Right."

"I am not going after the Reclaimer. I am going to inspect the areas my spies claim to be. I-"

"I will go with her," Kent spoke up then. "I will find a flier and I will go with her."

"Rhea will take you, if you're really being offered a chance to go," York said with a shrug. Perdita only frowned.

"Seen, Kent, not heard."

"The boy cannot go," Mareth said then. "He would only be in the way, much more than he is here."

"Ever think you are the one in the way, Mareth?"

"I'll go with her," Gregor said then causing Luxa to frown at him. He only stared at Perdita though. "It would have to be after my wedding though."

"I am trying to procure safety for your wedding to take place. Going after-"

"We will have more than enough guards around during the wedding. It would not be a good time for the gnawers to attack." Gregor shook his head slightly. "You and I will go investigate things, after the wedding."

"Yes, Gregor, because there is nothing more that I want than for you to leave the day after our wedding," Luxa remarked with a frown. "Honestly? You think that I am going to-"

'It will get him in good with the people," York remarked then. "Show that he is not afraid of going out instead of just staying around the palace. Your grandfather, Luxa, would go all sorts of places. Especially when Solovet became his general. He hated women, to the core, but Solovet was a special case. The King and the General, off to fight another battle. It is how he died, in war."

"Yes, and that is all good and well, but Gregor is not-"

"You know that you're not going to keep me locked up here forever," he told her then with a frown. "And if I'm going with Perdita, I'm certainly coming back. There's no way I won't come back."

"Neither of you are bonded, both of you are injured-"

"Andromeda and Perdita are as close as any pair," Mareth said slowly, glancing at Perdita. "If you wish to go, she will take you."

"Thank you, Mareth, but you and her are-"

"I would feel safer, if she were with you, than any other. Especially a random flier. You have seen her fight countless times, as she has you."

"And Nike will take me anywhere," Gregor said. "Or Aurora."

"All women," York laughed. "He will be gong with all women. A death warrant."

"I am going too," Kent remarked. "I told you. And you said Rhea will take me."

"Rhea is old," Mareth said slowly before glancing at York. "I mean no offense, but-"

"Older than Andromeda, fine, but not that old." Still, York just shrugged. "She has as much fight in her as I and I cannot imagine saying no to a fight. She either."

"I do not recall anyone saying you could go, Kent," Perdita said then to which Luxa snorted.

"And I do not recall me saying that Gregor could go."

"You will be my wife," he told her then. "Not my mother."

"Gregor-"

"This will be my realm too, Luxa. It's my job to take care of it. If you were not with child, I would not have a problem with you going. But you are. So you have to stay here. Sorry."

Luxa looked ready to hit him then, but instead only turned her eyes to Perdita. "What would you going to your scouts do anyhow? Other than possibly reveal their positions?"

"I wish to check in with them. And if they are delivering information to the gnawers, possibly question them and figure out who. I-"

"If you could not accomplish a simple reconnaissance mission, why would I send you out to-"

"The Reclaimer was not there, Luxa," Perdita growled at her then. "What did you want me to do? Make him appear out of nothing?"

Luxa narrowed her eyes at her tone. "Careful, Perdita. Do not wish for repeat of yesterday."

"Yesterday, yesteryear, yester-century. Who cares?" York sat up suddenly, slipping his feet off the table. "Gregor, you are the King in the coming days. She no longer commands you. You and Perdita will go and, if you come back, good. If not, life goes on. Besides, Luxa, if he dies out there, your mission is still accomplished."

"What do you mean?"

"You will say he impregnated you on your wedding night, he is gone, and then you get to be the only ruler and have that heir that you want. Win-win." York grinned then, as if he had thought of some sort of master plan. Then he looked at Kent and wiggled his glass. Groaning, Kent got up to get him more ale.

"Does it not bother you, York? Being the only one drinking?" Perdita asked, clearly trying to hint something to him. He only shrugged.

"The way I see it, I am with a cripple, two women, a man with an head injury, and a boy. I am the only one meant to drink."

"You're in a good mood," Mareth told him with a frown. "And I might be a cripple, but I could take you in a fight any day."

"How about today?" York perked up at the thought. "I was hoping the Overlander and I could go at it, but if he has an existing injury, I know that is out of the question. You and I though-"

"No." Luxa frowned. "York, do you come to my palace just to find men to fight?"

"For the most part," he admitted. "The men in the Fount are my age. Too old. No good. I like fighting young men. Though Mareth is not young-"

"Watch it, York, before I reveal you and your wife's age."

"Aye." York took his mug when his son handed it off to him. "You do not know fun here in the capital."

Perdita only rolled her eyes making York smirk at her. He was clearly getting off on bothering her.

"Then it is settled, yes?" Gregor looked around. "I will go with Perdita-"

"We will talk. Alone."

"Luxa-"

"Alone."

He slumped back in his chair, letting out a long sigh. "If you would be fine with jeopardizing everyone else because-"

"There are other soldiers, Gregor. You just want to go because you always have to be in everyone's business. You constantly-"

"I constantly what, Luxa? Want to do something other than stay around the palace and have you yell at me? Forgive me."

"Oh, as if I want you around constantly? You always-"

"Apparently you do or else you wouldn't-"

"Calm down. Both of you." York took a long gulp of ale before standing. "If you fight like this now, it will only lead to an unhappy marriage. And if you plan for people to respect Gregor, Luxa, he is going to have to continue to do good for Regalia. The banished are starting to fade from their minds. If he is able to find the champion and help him destroy the Reclaimer, all the better. Or if he can defeat the Living Dead, that will be great. Either way, you are going to have to accept that you are not the only one in charge anymore. You gave up that right by taking him to bed. Now you have to suffer the consequences."

Luxa was absolutely seething by that point, but was able to hold her tongue as York left the room, as she no doubt would rather like him gone than staying around to argue. The second he was gone, she took a very ragged breath before biting the inside of her cheek. The not drinking thing was affecting her heavily.

"I must go check on Barrett." She stood suddenly. "If you…idiots wish to go risk your lives, go. Go now, Gregor. Because as it stands, you are the last person I wish to marry."

It was Gregor's turn to hold his tongue, which he did rather well. After Luxa was gone, Perdita was finally able to get some work done like she wanted from the beginning, going over plans with Gregor as if the trip was going to happen for certain, and Kent as well, on the off chance he would be accompanying them.

Gregor had never gone anywhere alone with Perdita, but knew that it would be a business adventure. Still, he thought that he should have some topics of discussion to have with her, as they would be gone for a number of hours, if not days. And Nike could only contribute so much to a conversation. If she was even going. If Aurora was going to take him, that would change everything. She was rather quiet around others and though Gregor knew of no bad blood between her and Andromeda, he also knew that they weren't overly friendly with each other either. He had never seen them spend any free time with one another.

When the meeting broke, Perdita was going to go speak with another prospect for Gregor's soon to be vacated position as well as check on Barrett herself. Even though she did not like him for the most part, he was her charge. And she also mentioned something about going to see his soldiers for a training session. Whatever. Kent just happily went along, leaving Gregor and Mareth.

"Overlander? A word?" Mareth asked as Gregor stood to leave the table. Sighing, Gregor only stood before nodding. Mareth walked over to the door with him, but did not let him leave, just laid a hand on his shoulder, holding him in place. Gregor had a bad feeling that it was about the day before and how he had more or less messed up Mareth's little getaway with Perdita.

"Look, Mareth, I was only trying to do what was best for Regalia. And Perdita wouldn't be happy in the Fount. Not the way you want to go. I only-"

"What? No. I do not care about that. Right now," he clarified before shaking his head. "I only wish to say this, Gregor. If this trip happens, you are taking my bond with you as well as my…well, Perdita. They are the only two women in my life that I honestly care for. And I know how most of your missions turn out. You take risks, even with your own woman. Do not with mine. If they did not come back to me…especially both of them…"

"I get it. I won't-"

"No, you don't. You never do. You think that being a hero means going your hardest, headstrong, and with the utmost courage. It does not. Sometimes a hero just goes in, does his duty, and comes back home. You have your own wife to think about now, as well as two children. And Perdita and Andromeda are the same for me. They're all I have." He looked off then. "If you do not bring them back, I could not…function. I am hardly functioning now, but then I would-"

"I get it, buddy. I won't let anything happen. Promise. We're just going to talk to some scouts. That's it. Nothing extra. No Reclaimer, no Ripred."

Mareth only looked him hard in the eyes before saying, "If you come back and they do not because of something foolish that you did, I will kill you, Overlander. Even as my king, I will extinguish your light in the most painful way possible. They are my life. And I will do anything to protect them."

It was only when Gregor sobered completely and nodded that Mareth released him before smiling. Gregor was still weary, but the other man only patted his shoulder and headed out of the room, as if nothing had happened, even calling out down the hall for Perdita to wait for him.

Mareth was complex, but then again, weren't they all?

* * *

><p>"Ah. Howard. My favorite son."<p>

Gregor frowned at York. "I thought you said Kent was your favorite son?"

"And he was. Because he was the only one in the room at that moment, he was also my favorite child. Now I have Stellovet and Howard in the room. My favorite son of the moment and favorite daughter, as well as my two favorite children. When Hero and Kent join me later, I will have my four favorite. And when Chim comes with her mother and greets me, she will be my favorite."

"But that-"

"It will make sense to you soon enough."

Howard only rolled his eyes as he came into the room. "I did take off from work for this dinner, Father. Try not to offend me too horribly. And hello, Stellovet."

She was already seated at the dining table, on the other side of York and bowed her head slightly. "Brother. I have not seen you in a number of months."

"Not since Vikus' funeral," Howard said with a nod of his head as he looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"Luxa is always late and Kent is a working man now." York laughed at that. "Your mother is home sick and I left Chim with her. Hero's got a new job though, as the Overlander and your cousin's nanny."

"What?" Stellovet frowned at that before looking at Gregor. "Luxa hired…Hero? As her nanny? Hero cannot care for a child."

"Hero cannot do anything, but whine." York made a face before looking around. "Less she is in hearing distance. Then she is one of my favorite children." He paused. "No? Yes, well, she is rather lazy and complains much. Like you, Stellovet, but less attentive to the men I try to give her to."

"F-Father-"

"Are we going to be meeting the man then tonight?" Howard asked as he took a seat next to Gregor. "That is…lucky enough to get Stellovet as a wife?"

"Aye. We are supposed to. I asked him to arrive slightly late, so he did not have to sit around too long. I knew Luxa would be late. Luxa is always late." Then York added, "And also upset with me. Very upset with me."

"She is upset with everyone," Howard assured him. "And she will be especially upset with you if you are the one that gave Hazard the idea to start a brothel."

"Wh-What?" York laughed. "No, I cannot take credit for-"

"Kent and Hazard both told me that you were rather vocal about real men…partaking in such things," Gregor said slowly, looking at York. "Ken then proceeded to tell me that I am weak for not."

"I said this?" York scratched his head before shrugging and slinging back some more ale. "I must have been drunk and Susannah must not have been around."

"Probably not."

"I say many things, when the time calls for it. Could you boys go ahead and not tell Luxa that I told them this then?" York looked both Howard and Gregor in the eyes, as they were seated across from him. "And do not mention it to Susannah either. Or at least not for a few days. She is rather upset with me, recently."

"I thought she was sick? You made her angry while she is sick?" Howard frowned. "Father-"

"She is just upset about Kent, boy, nothing else. The military and all. And now that Stellovet's wedding will soon be approaching, she is upset that all three of you are in the capital and not at home. I told her we should just have more children, but no. She says she is too old. Bah."

Gregor made a face before shaking his head. "I do not think that is her problem, York. If she wanted more kids, she could always just adopt them. I think it is the ones she has now not being around."

"And? That is my fault? I have already presented her with options. Have them all live with us forever, have more, adopt more, or get over it. She refuses all those options. It is her fault."

"You sound so loving, Father," Stellovet remarked with a frown, but he only shrugged.

"Your mother knows my temperament. Find the solution or stop whining about the problem. Those are the only two options."

Howard shook his head. "And you said this to Mother? In that exact tone? With those words?"

"Of course not. Susannah is very fragile, very special. Like a child. Except when she is mad at me, of course."

"Of course."

"I explain life to her as gently as possible."

"I'm sure."

That was the end of the conversation though as it was then that Luxa showed up, Hero and Zander in tow. Shockingly enough, Zander was snuggled up in Hero's arms, not Luxa's. That was a relief. As long as Zander liked her, maybe the whole nanny thing had a shot.

"I hear you have a new job, Hero." Howard got to his feet as his sister entered, though Gregor was pretty sure they all were supposed to. Luxa was the Queen and all, but no one else did. York was too busy drinking and there was no way Stellovet was standing and bowing to her cousin.

"Yes. Luxa says I can care for Zander, if I like." Hero bounced the boy in her arms, who only rubbed his tiger against her. "And she will even pay me."

"It is customary, after all." Luxa went to take her seat while Howard only went to grasp Hero by the cheeks and kiss her head. Though he did not get to spend a lot of time with his younger siblings, Gregor knew that Howard really did care about them. Hero and Chim especially.

"I like Zander," Hero assured them all as her brother stepped away. "He's very…something."

Gregor blinked at that before nodding. Something. Zander was something.

"Here you go." Hero sat Zander down before taking the seat next to him. "Happy?"

"Tunny." He patted his stomach with one hand before looking at Luxa, who forced a smile for him.

"Where is the man of the hour then?" Luxa asked finally as a servant came to fill her water glass.

"He is on his way," York said as Stellovet sucked in a breath. Gregor glanced at her, but when she looked back at him, they accidentally made eye contact and he had to look away. York just elbowed his eldest daughter though. "Excited?"

"Y-Yes, Father."

Howard only shook his head before looking at Luxa. "Is Hazard not joining us for dinner?"

"He might. He might not. Does it matter?" She reached for her glass, frowning down at it for a moment before drinking it. "Maybe he is soliciting women."

"Luxa," Gregor warned as York choked on his ale.

"Oh, is that suddenly a poor conversation topic? Forgive me." She rolled her eyes. "I forget at times that only males can speak of their own shortcomings."

"Luxa, enough." Gregor glared over at her. "I'm starting to like you better drunk than I like you pregnant."

Stellovet had to stifle a giggle into her palm while everyone else only looked off. Luxa narrowed her eyes at Gregor for the comment before leaning over and whispering to him, "Tonight. I swear."

It was then that Hazard and Kent entered, both looking rather melancholy. Kent took a seat on the other side of Hero, hardly even acknowledging the rest of his family.

"Where's your woman then, Kent?" Hero asked, genuinely interested.

That made Luxa roll her eyes and Gregor sigh. York, however, was interested.

"Not even a month in the capital and you have a woman?" York let out a sharp laugh while Stellovet only looked at her scrawny brother with suspicion. Kent was rather like his mother in build and had very little muscle. "You are my son."

"He does not a…woman," Howard said with a frown before shaking his head. "We will discuss it later, Father."

"Discuss it?" York frowned. "Is something wrong with her?"

"No," Kent said, frowning at his older brother before sitting up taller and addressing his father. "It is Perdita."

And York lost it. He laughed for a good while too while no one else found it all that humorous. Especially not Kent who turned bright red and took to glaring at the man.

"He is serious?" York shook his head slightly. "Boy, she's your mother's age. I am certain of it. What-"

"Now is not the place, remember?" Luxa looked at Hazard. "Less we wish to discuss someone else's habits with women as well."

"Why, Luxa, I did not know you were interested."

She widened her eyes before setting them to glare at Hazard. "You-"

"Oy. Look who arrives now." York stood then and Gregor knew he was glad for it, as Lycos entered the room. Gregor knew him through certain circles, but he was one of Barrett's men, not his. Still, he had never heard anything too bad about the man. He did have a knack for getting it to arguments in the mess hall, but if that were held against every man, most the soldiers would not be held in such high esteem.

"Aye. Hello, York." The man came into the room slowly, looking around.

He was quite Stellovet's senior, but they had all been expecting that. Luxa told Gregor once that it was better, marrying an older man. It was more likely he would die quickly and then you would just get his home and money without worry. Still, Gregor wasn't raised in an arranged marriage type of society and saw it still as rather backwards. But if both parties were willing, he never said anything against it. It worked out well for Susannah and York, at least. They always seemed happy.

For the most part.

Stellovet let out a slight breath at the sight of the man, as Gregor was sure she had conjured up quite the image of him in her own head, no doubt a worst case scenario. Though Lycos was rather older than her, he was not all together unsavory. He had not reached the age where he began letting himself go yet, though he was rather stout. He was muscular though, just not tall. He also had a horrible beard that Gregor let pass because it probably made him feel young.

Lycos did not address her first though, instead knowing to speak to Luxa. When he tried to bow though, she only held up a hand with a sigh.

"The rest of my family does not bow or even greet me any longer." She gave the others a look then causing them all to look off. "Trust me, it is best if we end formalities here. We will no doubt hate each other by the end of this all."

"I assure you, Queen Luxa, I-"

"And I assure you when I send your wife home in tears by the second night after your marriage, you will hate me."

"Grow up, Luxa," Stellovet retorted, frowning at her. "You are-"

"Insult me, Stellovet. Go ahead. I have waited an excuse to tell your husband all your secrets for a long time and now it is presenting itself to me. I might not even be able to wait until the wedding is final, I am so overjoyed."

"Stop it." Gregor gave Luxa the dirtiest of looks then. It was one thing when Stellovet went after her first, but the other woman had said nothing to her, really, her entire visit. He was willing to let her off before, as she had so much going on, but he was about tired of it. It was like every person in her life was her enemy and she wanted to take them down.

"Tonight-"

"Now. I will drag you out of here, Luxa."

"Do not anger me, Overlander," she hissed at him while Stellovet turned her glare onto Gregor then.

"Would both of you knock it off?" Howard hissed over at them. "You are ruining this."

"Me?" Gregor crossed his arms then, sitting back in his seat. Fine. If they wanted Luxa to act like a raving bitch and him not try to wrangle her in, he was just going to let it go. He didn't give a damn if Stellovet got married or not. She wasn't his sibling or cousin.

…And she had kind of tried to hookup with him that once, so his expectations on that marriage lasting were kind of next to nothing.

"The kids," York laughed uneasily as Stellovet went to greet the man. He seemed uneasy, seeing his queen behave in such a way, but quickly took to looking over his prospected bride.

Hero made a face at the way the man was looking at her sister before mumbling to her twin that she would never let someone treat her as she knew her sister was going to be treated. Kent, though usually proclaiming her to be annoying, threw a causal arm over the back of Hero's chair and nodded his head. As much as he tried to play it off, he had missed his twin while he was in the capital and was glad to have her back. From what Gregor understood, they spent little time apart in the Fount. He figured it was different, being a twin than just a sibling.

Luxa was glaring at Gregor then, but he refused to acknowledge it. She was the one that was acting out so much recently, not him. He couldn't wait to get back into the Dead Lands or wherever Perdita was taking him. Spending too much time with Luxa was more detrimental to his health than any supposed enemy could ever be.

"Tunny?" Zander was looked around at everyone then, clearly waiting to be fed. He had sat at that table far too long for his liking. "Lucka?"

She signaled to the servants then as Lycos slowly found his way to the table, York immediately launching into some sort of boring tale about war or battle or drinking or…something. Gregor wasn't really listening. He was more focused in on Lycos, who wasn't listening either. He was still inspecting Stellovet. Shiver.

It took forever for dinner to come to a close. And even after, York wasn't done drinking. He wanted Lycos to come with him to the mess hall, but he declined, instead offering Stellovet a chance for them to go speak, alone. She accepted and they left first. York seemed disappointed, but Howard only sighed.

"Father, Lycos is here for Stellovet. Not so you have a new playmate."

"Yes, well, I only thought…" York shrugged then. "You boys want to go with me then? Gregor?"

"No. Luxa and I are-"

"Howard?"

"I have duties at-"

"Kent?"

"Perdita is no doubt back in the war room and I-"

"…Hazard?"

He blinked. "I am a business man now. This is a busy hour for us."

Luxa took that one in stride, gulping down a huge amount of water. Gregor only glared at Hazard while York looked around, but came up with no other options.

"I could go alone…unless…Hero…no. You're just a girl." He sighed, standing. "I wish Susannah had come."

"Why?" Howard frowned as he got up as well, having to get back to the hospital for his next shift. "She would not have gone down to the mess hall with you."

"Yes, but she would have given me something to do. She likes all my stories."

"She tolerates them, you mean."

York only shrugged. "Same thing with her. She listens and then tells me how wonderful and great I am at war. She is a very good wife in that way. A liar, but still a good wife. You should remember that, Luxa."

When she stood, it was with a very set face. "Yes, well, Hero, are you up for bathing Zander? It shall be part of your duties."

She looked down at the little boy next to her, who was splattered with all sorts of sauces and food particles. "I-I guess so. I've never bathed a child."

"You may use the bathing area in the back of the royal wing," she told her with a sigh. "You cannot mess it up. Just do not drown him, as tempting as it might be at times."

Eventually Gregor and Luxa ended up back in her bedchamber, awaiting Hero to bring them Zander. Luxa still wanted to be the person to put him bed at night.

"Are you, like, just going through alcohol withdrawals or something?"

"Excuse me?"

Gregor just continued to strip for bed. "I mean, honestly, Luxa. It's one thing to be moody, but you've just been in a constant state of hatred towards anyone that isn't Zander for days now. Knock it off."

"Do not tell me-"

"I am telling you and you're going to do it. Else you can have this stupid wedding and just marry yourself."

"Do not threaten me, Gregor. I will-"

"What? Yell at me? Hit him?" He snorted before going to lay down in the bed. "You know, if this is what being married is like, I hate it. I really hate it."

"Good. Hate it, Gregor. Leave then. Do not-"

"Oh, shut up, Luxa. God." He spread out on the bed, face buried in the bedding. "You really kill me sometimes."

"If you are not careful, I will hold a pillow over your head and tell everyone you raped me and that is why I am carrying your child."

"Kill me, Luxa. Come on. Do it." He rolled onto his back. "I'm waiting."

"Gregor-"

"I welcome the challenge."

When she sat down on the bed, she did not move to lay down. She only stared at the door, waiting for her cousin to bring back their child. Gregor only laid there for awhile before closing his eyes and letting out a long breath. Yelling at her wasn't going to solve anything. It was making him feel better, but it wouldn't help the situation any.

"Tell me what you want, Lux, from me. From everyone."

"I do not want anything, Gregor."

"Except for us all to be able to do exactly what you want when you want it."

"Exactly."

"Luxa-"

"What do you want for me to say, Gregor? I am not happy. I cannot help it. I am frustrated and you are making it no better by wanting to go…to go…Gregor."

"What?" He pushed himself up slightly. "Are you…sad now? Or still angry? Or are we fine again?"

"Why do you always want to leave me?"

He frowned at that. "I don't, Luxa. I just-"

"Yes, you do. You always do."

"I just…I see you all the time. Constantly. And you have to admit that you get tired of me too. And it's not good for us, when we see each other all the time. Then we fight more. You know that."

"But-"

"And it's part of protecting our family, alright? I need to go and make sure-"

"But why does it have to be you, Gregor? Why can you not-"

"Because that's the type of person I am, Luxa. That's the type of person I'm always going to be. It's not going to change. You know that. You might not like it, but you know that."

Hero was calling out to Luxa then through the curtain, to come put Zander to bed. Gregor just rolled over and tried to wait up for her. He ended up falling asleep. It was just as well. They'd have probably ended up fighting anyhow.


	16. Chapter 16

The Living Dead

Chapter 16

There was probably nothing Zander liked better than when Gregor's mother came to visit. She always brought him toys, candies, and even once, some juice. Then, of course, there was the way she babied him. That was always a plus.

By the same token though, Luxa hated it. She truly hated it.

"What happened to his teeth, Gregor?"

That was the first thing his mother said when he led her into the sitting room, where Zander was busy playing with Hero. Luxa was there as well and frowned at the question. Zander had jumped up at the entrance of Grace, rushing over with his mouth open in a wide grin, showing off his missing teeth.

"They didn't fall out already, did they?" she asked, making a face at him.

"No, Mom. Another kid, well, hit him and knocked them out."

As he and Luxa were fighting that morning when Gregor woke up, he went ahead with Nike to the grate in the laundry room, to see if his mother and sisters wanted to come early, instead of that night. Boots and Lizzie jumped at the chance and he hadn't even been able to get them to the royal chamber before they disappeared once they made it to the palace. His mother though was most worried about Zander and seeing him with two missing teeth wasn't helping the situation.

"What? Gregor-"

"It's okay. They were just baby teeth."

Grace gave him a look before glancing back down at Zander. He was holding up his arms to her, staring at the bag in her hands. He knew whatever was in there was for him. Grace finally smiled at him before going over to the empty couch in the sitting room and taking a seat.

Luxa hadn't rose from her position on the other couch, only continuing to stare heavily at Grace while staying silent. Hero had risen to her feet and began to put away Zander's toys.

"Come here, Zander." Grace sat him up on the couch with him before moving to start taking things out of the bag. "You wanna see what I brought for you?"

"Yes." He nodded his head before taking a big sniff. He must have smelled something. Then, patting his stomach, he said, "Tunny."

"Very good. Very, very good, Zander."

He was over the praise though and was just staring at the bag, waiting. When she opened the bag, the first thing she brought out was a book, with a big picture of Santa Clause on it. Gregor had forgot that it was Christmas time and only frowned slightly. Zander would have no idea what that is.

Still, he took the big print children's book and stared at the front cover, as transfixed with it as he was everything.

The next thing she got out was a box of store bought cookies, but they were clearly gotten for a purpose. Gregor frowned at the shape while his mother only opened the box.

"Look, Zander. See? They're-"

"Rawr!" He dropped the book then, causing it to clatter to the floor. Luxa frowned at that while Hero only jumped. She was clearly most on edge, as she was never around Gregor's family or Overland things. "Rawr!"

"Mom, where did you find those?" Gregor asked, making a face at Zander who immediately held out his hands, waiting for her to give him the box. She didn't. Only opened the box and took a cookie out before placing it in the boy's hand.

"I had to special order them from a bakery," she said as she gave Zander a tiger-shaped cookie. Then she looked to Hero. She had no idea who she was, but had seen her taking care of Zander and nodded at her. "Here. Would you like one?"

"What…is it?"

"It's just food, Hero," Gregor told her with a sigh. "Try one."

"Thank you," she said, nodding her head slightly at Gregor's mom as she came to grab one. Zander was still playing with his though, making growling noises as he paraded it around.

"Do not play with your food, buddy." Gregor patted his head before looking at his mother. "Is that all you bought him?"

"Of course not. Here. Take these."

When he took the cookies from his mother, she immediately went back into the bag, pulling out a new stuffed teddy bear for Zander as well as some more of Gregor's old action figures. Zander quickly stuck the cookie in his mouth before taking the toys and teddy from her.

"Lucka," he called over to Luxa with his mouth full. "Yes."

"I see, Alexander."

He jumped down, marching over to Luxa and began to set some of his toys in her lap. She only frowned at him.

"Lucka. Yes?"

"No. Play with Hero."

"No!" He gave her the teddy bear then before wiggling. "Lucka."

"I do not wish to play with you, Zander."

Grace sighed then as watching as Gregor looked anywhere, but at Luxa. He knew that she could feel the tension in the room between him and Luxa.

"Here, Zander. Come over here. Let me see your new…toys." Hero took his hand and led him back to the center of the room, making him sit down to play. He giggled, grinning at Hero when she rubbed one of the action figures against his face.

"Where are you sisters, Gregor?" Luxa asked him finally as she stood. She just went to lay the rest of the toddler's toys in front of him. Hero glanced up at her, but she was only staring at her fiancé.

"Lizzie went off with Nike and Boots is with Kent and Hazard."

"Oh, because that sounds like a wonderful idea."

He made a face at her. "Knock it off. Seriously."

Luxa only bent down then, to kiss Zander's head. When he looked up at her, she said, "You are going to stay here with Hero, okay? I have to go now."

"Lucka." He patted her face when she was close enough before going back to his toys. He was fine.

"I am going to the war room, Gregor," Luxa told him when she stood straight again. Then she glanced at Grace before saying, "You can come there when you are ready."

"Go now, Gregor," his mother told him then. When he frowned, she only said, "I will just stay in here with Zander and…Hero, was it?"

She nodded slightly while Gregor only sighed.

"You sure, Mom?" he asked slowly. "I can stay."

"Go. I'm sure you're very busy, considering."

Considering.

Gregor could tell that Luxa was unhappy as they walked side by side down the hall, her arms folded slightly, her demeanor keeping anyone from speaking to them as they went along. Part of Gregor felt kind of bad for her, as the last thing she probably wanted was Zander to smell any more of the Overland, as she thought of it as unsafe, but he also was kind of tired of her trying to keep his family out of their lives, when he had to deal with hers on a daily basis. Really.

When they got to the war room, Gregor was reminded that Barrett still was comatose, which was looking worse and worse for him. Even if he did wake up, the longer he stayed under, the less likely it was that he would be his former self. And while Gregor never really liked him and wished that he would just disappear, no part of his wanted any real harm to come to him. At least not fully.

"Good. You are both here."

"We are," Luxa said slowly, staring at Perdita. She was standing next to the table, Kent with her, as well as Mareth. York wasn't around though, so Gregor went ahead and marked that down as a good thing. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Perdita told her with a shake of her head. "I just thought that the two of you would be busy all day."

"The wedding is already planned and the Overlander does not have to stay with his family, so I do not-"

"She meant with Barrett," Mareth explained. "Since he just woke up."

"He what?"

Perdita glanced at Gregor then to Luxa. "Did you not know? He is awake."

Luxa's face set in a peculiar way then before she slowly let out a breath. "I did not know. I must, at the very least, go and check on him. Gregor can stay and handle anything here. If that is all…?"

"Go," Perdita told her with a shrug before going back to speaking to Kent. He had been writing things for her when they walked in.

"Gregor-"

"Go, Luxa," he said, heading over to the table. All of his fight and drive was gone. If she wanted to spend her last day before being married to him with another man, that was something that had to go on her conscious, not his. "I'll handle business here."

"You do not have to," Mareth told him after Luxa was gone. "Perdita is merely working on your trip. You need not be present. I thought that you would wish to spend the day with your friends or something."

"A premarital party or something," Perdita said. "With women and alcohol. You know, so you can completely get drunk and forget all about your wedding in the morning. The usual way men misbehave."

Mareth made a face at Perdita before looking back at Gregor. "I think what she's saying is that you do not have to spend your last day of…freedom here with us."

"As horrible as it sounds, guys, other than Matthias, you guys are my only friends."

Perdita only shrugged. "Stay then. If you'd like."

Approaching the table, he asked, "Has York been in here today?"

"I have not seen him since yesterday," Perdita told him as he leaned against the table, staring down at the map. Then she frowned. "Where are your bandages?"

"Howard removed them before I went to get my mother and sisters this morning. Says I'm all healed up."

"Wish I could say the same for my arm."

Mareth shook his head then. "The two of you. Whining over fixable injuries."

Perdita made a face, glancing at him. "I forget at times, about your leg. I never see you anymore, with it off."

"That is because you do not care for me anymore."

"You never invite me to take care of you."

"I must make invitations now? For a friend to care for another?"

"Be quiet, Mareth."

He grinned though, because he had successfully gotten to her. Gregor could tell by the way they were around one another that they had completely made up by that point. Kent only frowned at the sound of the two of them speaking to one another though.

"Should we not finish this scroll?" he asked Perdita, trying to sound as innocent as possible. She nodded then, going right back into work mode. Mareth only sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"Has Luxa gone over the wedding with you? Your crowning?" Mareth asked Gregor softly as he walked over to him, as not to disturb Perdita.

"Sort of. She says I have to have some sort of vows back to her at the wedding and that's pretty much it. And for the crowning, she didn't really say a lot."

"You will just be swearing to protect the realm at all costs, even your own life. You will promise to uphold the balance and power of Regalia and the Fount above all. That sort of thing." Mareth glanced at Perdita. "Other than Luxa's coronation, have you been to another?"

"Of course. Did you not go to Queen Judith's?"

"No. You did?"

"My father was lucky and got us in."

"Lennox was crowned at the same time," Mareth told Gregor then. "After his father was killed in battle."

"Luxa does not talk much of them," Gregor said then to which Mareth only shrugged.

"Why focus on the past or the future when the present is so problematic?" He patted Gregor on the shoulder then. "You are going to go through with it then?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and Luxa do not seem to be getting along well, recently."

"Ever, really, but of course I am," Gregor told him with a slight frown. "How could I not? There is no other option for us. I got her pregnant, now I have to marry her. Either that or I have to go back home, to the Overland, and that is not an option. Not a real one anyways."

Mareth grunted. "It is a poor situation."

"Would you not then, Mareth, do the same?" Perdita looked up from the map then. "If you got a woman pregnant?"

"Would you want me to?"

"What do I have to do with-"

"I do not know, Perdita. You keep me from every other avenue of happiness."

"Because I am living such a glorious life with you breathing down my neck."

"And you would do it then?"

"Do what?"

"If you got pregnant, you would wish to marry the man?"

The map suddenly seemed interesting to Perdita again. "That would never happen to me."

"No?"

"No."

"Then you live a very boring life."

"I'd rather be boring, Mareth, than live to be a lonely old cripple."

"You live a rather lonely life now, while I spend my time with many, many companions. Who is really-"

"Knock it off, guys. Seriously." Gregor made a face at them. "Every time you start off like this, you end up pissed at each other. Let's just all have a day when no one storms out of this room."

"I don't think you're lonely," Kent said then to Perdita who only shook her head, not saying anything more on the subject.

Eventually Gregor left the three of them in the war room, a few hours later, to go find his mother and sisters. It was nearly luncheon and he figured he had better go find who had Zander and make sure he got fed.

He heard York before he came into the room and was slightly shocked find him in the royal wing. He was in the sitting room with Grace, talking about some sort of war story, which Gregor's mother only seemed to be half-listening to. Hero was there as well, going around and picking up Zander's toys while the little boy sat in his step-grandmother's lap, completely relaxed as she rubbed his stomach.

"-Hamnet, but you know, I never rightly liked him. Still, he was Susannah's brother and, yes, some might say that he was better than me in his prime, but I am not too certain on that. I feel that is complete bias due to his Hamnet's mother was. Solovet. I- Oy. Overlander."

"Hey," Gregor greeted as he came into the room slowly. His mother looked up at the sound of his voice, but Zander just stayed flaked out in her lap, not moving in the slightest. "I didn't know you were in here, York."

"None of my other kids want me around, but Hero. And Luxa didn't want me in the war room, I was pretty sure." York shook his head. "Guess I should be glad about Stellovet. I think she's with Lycos. That's a good thing. I suppose."

"Hero, you don't have to clean up after Zander," Gregor said then, frowning at the teen. "Or at least not alone. You're supposed to make him help."

"He's just a baby."

That was the problem with Zander's lack of development. Everyone always wanted to treat him like he couldn't do anything. And he could. When Zander told him to clean up, he was able to clean up. When Luxa gave him an order about practically anything, he was able to follow through. He just couldn't respond back to them in most cases. He wasn't an invalid or anything.

"No, he's not."

"Oh, Gregor, leave him alone," Grace said as Zander cuddled against her. "He's tired."

"From what?"

"He has a very busy life, alright?" She patted Zander' stomach then who only kicked his feet in response. "Where are your sisters?"

"I don't know. Lizzie's probably still with Nike and Hazard and Boots are probably still doing something."

York frowned at that before shaking his head. "Hazard? You left your sister with Hazard?"

Grace looked over at the man then, listening to him probably for the first time. "Why would it matter if he did?"

"Hazard-"

"Nothing, Mom. Hazard's just weird. You know that." Gregor went over to her then and snatched Zander up, who immediately took to whining. "Come on. Let's go find something for lunch."

York and Hero joined them for lunch, which was good, as it gave Gregor someone to pawn his mother off on after when a guard came to get him. He said that it was urgent and Queen Luxa had requested him in the hospital wing. The first thing Gregor thought about was the baby, which he feared wholly. Then he realized that Luxa was with Barrett and she whatever she wanted must have to do with him. Ugh.

"You wanted me?" Gregor called out softly as he came into Barrett's hospital room. The other cot in the room was empty and Luxa was sitting on it, staring at Barrett. She looked up at the sound of his voice before just nodding.

"Overlander," Barrett groaned as he tried to sit up. Luxa only sat there, her eyes falling back to him as he spoke. "Good. Good."

"Do not strain yourself," Luxa told him before looking back at Gregor. "Barrett wished to speak with you. Would not calm down until I asked for you to be brought here."

"What do you need me for?" he asked, making a face slightly. "How long have you even been up?"

"Apparently he awoke late last night," Luxa said with a slight frown. "He is still not feel well though."

"Fine. I'm fine." Barrett's voice was rough though and it was clear that he was weak. Gregor figured they should just be glad that he hadn't had more brain damage than the little he apparently had. "Need to talk to you 'bout what happened."

"Barrett, trust me, there will be time for that," Gregor told him with a sigh as Luxa got to her feet. She just walked over to her fiancé then, standing next to him as she watched Barrett. "And what would you want to tell me anyways? You didn't, like, lose your memory, did you? We kinda hate each other."

Luxa made a face at Gregor for that one, but he just kept focusing on the other guy, who only shook his head at him.

"Luxa said…you're gonna go. With Perdita."

"It's not any of your business, but-"

"You can't."

"The hell I can't. I-"

"Those rats, Overlander. 'fore we killed them, they were talking. Saying stuff. 'bout the prophecy."

"And? Gnawers always brag, Barrett. You know that. And if they heard about the wedding, then they heard about the Reclaimer. They-"

"Not Reclaimer, Overlander." Barrett took a gulping breath then before slowly letting out one word. "Henry."

"Wh-What?"

Barrett nodded then as Luxa only frowned. "It's Henry. And he's coming for you."

* * *

><p>"Where have the two of you been?"<p>

Boots only smiled at Luxa, who was eyeing her cousin suspiciously. "Hazard taught me how to juggle."

That made Gregor let out a slow breath before shaking his head and going back to picking at his dinner. "That's great. Sit down though. You're late."

"Juggle, you say?" Grace asked from the other end of the table. Zander was in her lap, happily helping eat off her plate as well as his own. "Where did you learn to do that, Hazard?"

"When I thought I was going to sell fruit, I learned." He went to take a seat in between Hero and Lizzie. "Where is Kent?"

"Working. All my kids are constantly busy." York, who was at the other head of the table than Luxa, only shook his head, frowning at his mug of ale. "Now even Hero has a job. All I have left is Chim. Then I'm alone…other than Susannah, but she does not count."

"Susannah is your wife?" Grace glanced at him before smiling. "And your son is Howard. Yes, I do remember."

York only grunted. "Doctor. _Doctors_. Susannah ruined my children. Now I have the other boy, lusting after a woman old enough to be his mother. Not even concerned with the military. It is sickening."

"You are a mean drunk today, Uncle," Luxa told him with a frown as Grace only stared at him.

Another grunt. "Miss my wife."

"That's cute," Lizzie laughed slightly while Hero only blushed, as if embarrassed by her father.

Hazard only groaned as a servant placed a plate in front of him. "Luxa, am I allowed to bring a guest to the wedding?"

"You are not allowed to the wedding."

"What?"

She shrugged, still just staring down at her plate. "You have no reason to be. No one does, really, but you especially. I honestly do not even wish for you to be at Gregor's coronation, but I do not think I can stop that. You may come to the reception, I suppose. Most people are."

"My guest-"

"If you bring one of your…_whores_ to my wedding reception, Hazard, I very well might banish you to the jungle to live like your father."

No one said anything for a moment after Luxa's outburst, though Grace's gaze on her son told him all she wanted to say. She had never liked Luxa, so there was no way she was going to find pregnant Luxa any better.

It was finally York though that broke the silence by beginning to laugh loudly, as if Luxa had just said the funniest thing ever. Then he just grabbed his mug and slung some more ale back before getting to his feet.

"It's times like this that I wish Judith was around to see you, Luxa," was all he said before heading to the door. He was almost to it when someone else walked in. It only took York a second, even in his drunken state, to recognize his wife.

"Susannah." He quickly enveloped her in his arms. Pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek, he slurred out, "What are you doin' here? Thought you weren't coming till tomorrow?"

"I wasn't, York, but then I thought I should come tonight. It will be rather hectic in the morning anyhow." Susannah pushed him back slightly, but he was still all smiles. Most everyone was looking at them then and there was nothing that mortified Susannah more than her husband's love of, well, showing his love of her around others.

"Where is Stellovet?" Chim asked as she came into the room also, looking around. "I wanted to see the old man she got stuck with."

York only reached over to pat her on the head, not even glancing at his youngest child as he stared at his wife. "Are you still unwell? You look pale. Come sit."

"It is good to see you, Susannah," Gregor greeted then while she only nodded at him. Then, as if in shock, she stopped walking over to the table for a moment when she noticed that he wasn't the only Overlander in the room.

"I did not know that your family would be here. Silly me. Of course they would be, but I only…" Susannah sighed then before nodding at Grace. "You are looking well. Of course, I remember you most from when you had the plague, so I suppose… I am sorry, my mind is elsewhere, should it seem like I am rambling."

"Sit." York had her sit in his chair from before, quickly pushing his mug of ale out of the way before moving his discarded plate of food in front of her. "Do you hunger?"

"York, enough." She pushed his hands away then. "Honestly."

Making a face, he took to standing behind her chair, resting his hands on her shoulders. He was clearly thrown off by her showing up.

"Where is Stellovet?" Susannah asked then, looking more to Luxa than anyone else. "Did things go well with her and Lycos?"

"Apparently," Hero remarked as Gregor made a face. "No one has seen her since."

"Perhaps it is her wedding present to us," Gregor mumbled softly to Luxa who only took a sip from her water glass. She could not think of a better one.

Hazard though was still glaring at Luxa. "Are you going to apologize now? Or is Susannah going to have to make you?"

"No one can make me do anything, Hazard."

Susannah sighed at the sound of them. "Tell me you two are not fighting. Hazard, your cousin is getting married tomorrow. Perhaps you can just…stop whatever it is that is bothering her? Please? Children, I have a headache, alright? No fighting."

York only glared over at Hazard then. "You heard Susannah. No more whores."

"Y-York!" Susannah looked up at him in shock. "Do not speak in such a way around the children. Are you-"

"Drunk," Luxa sighed then. If Susannah wanted to think they were all perfect and pure, let her. She had gone that long with the façade, why ruin it? "York is drunk as always."

He only kissed Susannah's head. "Sorry, dear."

"Go to bed, York, if you are going to be inappropriate. I will join you later."

"If it's what you want." He kissed her head again, squeezing her shoulders before taking a step back. Then he nodded at Gregor. "Come see me, boy, before you go to bed tonight. I wish to speak with you. I shall be in my usual room, alright?"

"Okay," Gregor said slowly while Luxa only rolled her eyes. There was only one thing York could possibly want, after all.

"'ork!" Zander bounced slightly in Grace's lap as the man passed. Then he held out his hand. "'ork!"

Luxa finally smiled then as Hero laughed slightly. Gregor only frowned.

"Seriously? He can say York now?" Gregor was slightly annoyed. Tummy. Luxa. York. The heck did Zander get off not learning his own father's name then?

"'ork!" Zander sounded annoyed then still holding out his hand. He clearly wanted something. It only took York a second to realize.

"I do not have anymore treats, child." He patted the boy on the head. "Perhaps I shall find some on the morrow, ah?"

"Zander." Luxa was quick to get to her feet and take the boy from Grace, who did not seem to wish to give him up. Still, Zander knew who his mother was and took to Luxa right away. Luxa immediately took to kissing the toddler, who was overjoyed by that. "When did you get such a big vocabulary, Zander?"

"'ork! 'ork!" He snuggled into her neck. He knew that new words meant a lot of love. "'ork."

"Why are we assuming he is saying York?" Boots frowned. "It sounds like pork."

Hazard only glared at Luxa, who was still snuggling Zander. It had never occurred to Gregor before that Hazard might be jealous of the way that Luxa was with Zander. It was how she had treated him forever, but eventually, when he began to disappoint her with his inability to always do what she wanted, she had begun to treat Hazard much how she always did everyone else. It was actually sad, really, to think about it like that. And sadder even to realize that one day, Zander would be the same way. No one could please Luxa and when she realized that you couldn't, she resented you for it.

"It does not matter what he is saying," Luxa told her as she took Zander with her back over to her seat. "It just matters that he is saying something."

Susannah smiled slightly at the sight, but still seemed distracted. Gregor figured it was bothering her, what the next day would bring. She was, for all intents and purposes, in charge of Luxa. Vikus, Solovet, Judith, and Lennox were all gone, after all. It was only her. She probably was nervous and worried and slightly excited all at once. He felt bad for her in the way he felt bad for everyone in the entire situation.

"Where is Kent?" Susannah finally asked. "Hero? I thought that the two of you would be all over each other. You missed him so much."

"Mother," she complained. "Besides, he is with Perdita. He is her assistant, remember? For as long as she needs him…or welcomes his feelings, anyhow."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Gregor sent Hero a look. "She meant nothing."

"Where has Nerissa been then?" Grace asked suddenly. It was a very random question, as she rarely had any contact with the woman. It must have just occurred to her that she was noticeably absent. "Gregor? Is she unwell?"

That made Susanna look up as well, almost in a guilty manner, as if it were her fault that she had not noticed.

"She is fine," Luxa said slowly. "Other than filling the Overlander's mind with fanciful thoughts, she goes on much as usual. Oblivious to all and only concerned with the prophecies."

"Lucky girl," Susannah remarked with a shake of her head.

"Tunny?" Zander had turned his attention to Luxa's mostly untouched food and was clearly asking permission to have some of it. Luxa just kissed him though, not really listening as he spoke. "Tunny? 'ork?"

Hazard was still frowning and suddenly stood from the table. "Come, Boots. Let's go find something to do."

"I'll come too." Lizzie was quick to get to her feet as well. "Unless…you don't need me for anything, do you, Gregor?"

He shook his head slightly. What would he ever need her for anyways?

"No, nothing I can think of."

Hero was staring at Luxa then, clearly wanting out of her duties as their nanny already. And so soon.

"Go, Hero," Luxa sighed causing Susannah to frown.

"Why would you wait for Luxa to tell you-"

"I'll bathe Zander tonight." Gregor got to his feet then, reaching to take the toddler from his soon to be wife. She wouldn't hand him over though.

"Do not try to placate now. Go away." She held Zander to her. "I've tired of you."

Grace raised her eyebrows at Gregor, but he only shook his head as he headed out of the room, the sounds of Hazard, Boots, Lizzie, and Hero carrying down the hall as they went off in search of Kent. At least they were having fun because Gregor was having a horrible time.

"For someone that is about to be married, you look about how I would expect."

"Thanks, Matthias."

He only grinned at his friend as he sat at the table, staring at his ale. He had been in the mess hall, trying to pick up a woman, but once again, he was passed over. Soldiers were far more interesting to the younger women than guards. "I am scheduled to be on guard, during your coronation."

"It's weird, ain't it? You're about to be, you know, one of my employees."

"I don't see it as too weird," Matthias said as Gregor sat down across from him. "Long as you're not evil towards me."

"If you want…maybe I can see about you, you know, becoming the head of the royal guard."

"You think you can do that?" He lifted his head then. "Really?"

"Matthias, I'm going to be King. I think I can do whatever the hell I want."

"I would be…I would be…"

"Everyone will hate you for it, if you go by my experience." Gregor shook his head. "You on guard during the reception too?"

"No."

"Then you should come."

"I do not think I am-"

"I'm inviting you, okay?" Gregor reached over to pat him on the shoulder. "Besides, what's a party without the head of the royal guard?"

"You are far too kind to me, Gregor."

"King Gregor."

He stammered then. "S-Sorry. I only-"

"It's a joke. Calm down." Gregor shook his head. "I do not think I will even like being called it by people that don't know me. Being called it by you would only be, you know, weird."

"Do you think Luxa will be fine with me at the reception though? I-"

"At the moment, Luxa doesn't even want me there. She'll probably be so annoyed at me that you won't even be on her radar." Gregor gave him a wry grin. "Believe me."

* * *

><p>"York? Are you still-"<p>

"Come in, Overlander."

The room that York and Susannah took was always the same. Gregor figured it had probably been hers or something, when she still lived in Regalia. It was nice enough, even had a small couch and table in it. The only times he saw it really was when he had to help York back to his room after a night of heavy drinking.

Susannah was in there with York when Gregor walked into the room, only a few torches lighting the chamber. They were seated on the couch, Susannah trying to get out of York's lap upon Gregor's entrance, obviously embarrassed. They didn't seem as if they had been doing anything really, though, else York wouldn't have called out for Gregor to come in.

"Did not think you'd call so late," York told Gregor as Susannah shifted on the couch. Her husband only wrapped an arm back around her, keeping her still. "Thought you grew fearful of the thought of speaking with me and weren't going to show."

"Was in the mess hall."

"Ah. Like you're married already."

"York-" Susannah began, but he only squeezed her shoulder, silencing her. As loving as York was towards Susannah, he was also in control of her in most instances. The only time he wasn't was when he let her take the reigns and even then, he'd take them back at any time. That was one thing Gregor knew would never happen in his own relationship.

"Susannah is still ill," York sighed as he stood. "She must rest. Come. We shall take a walk, yes, instead of speak in here?"

"If that is what you'd like."

"It is." York looked down at his wife then. "I will be back soon. I promise not to go to the mess hall. Lay down if you'd like. Is there anything you need for me to get you?"

"No."

"Good." He patted her on the head then, almost in a demeaning way. Susannah took well to it though. "I will not be gone long, but in case you fall asleep before I return, just know I am glad you came early. I am most horrible to deal with when you are not around. Or so I am told."

"I would not know. I only see you when I am with you."

"Ha ha. You are witty, my love. So very witty." He looked at Gregor then. "The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back to our women, yes?"

Gregor nodded then before turning to walk away. Not before saying goodnight to Susannah, who wished him a happy wedding day the next morning.

"What did you want to talk about, York?" Gregor asked once they were out in the hall. The older man just headed off one way, not saying anything for a few minutes. Gregor just followed along, slightly glad that York had nothing to say. It was a rare occurrence, after all.

"When Judith became pregnant with Luxa, it was a very big deal for all. Lennox thought that he would never have a true heir and had long given up hope. Judith though tried many measures to…to get pregnant. Many outlawed measures."

"Like what?"

"Many old spells and curses. Drank this potion, drank that potion. All silliness, really." York glanced at him, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword as he glanced around. Then, in a lower voice, he said, "Susannah once told me that Judith let it slip that she experimented in…blood magic."

"Like sacrifices?"

York shrugged. "I doubt it. More than likely self-mutilation."

That would explain a lot about Luxa, if she was conceived through…blood play.

"You must understand that Judith was quite like her mother," York went on then, quickly getting off the subject. "Solovet was obsessed with what she could not have; killing the gnawers. Judith was the same. She wanted a child.

"And if you think that Luxa is bad, pregnant, then you should have seen Judith. I was in the Fount for most of the pregnancy, but I heard the tales. Hamnet got the brunt of the abuse. He and his twin were always rivals."

"Makes sense. Hamnet was the favorite."

Nodding, York said, "What you do not get about Judith is that she wanted a male child more than anything. She thought that she would have nothing but. And of course she wanted her son to rival Howard."

"Of course."

"He was already about four or five then. Stellovet was still rather young as well." He paused. "I don't do well with ages, you know."

"I know."

"Forget my own if Susannah didn't remind me of it." Then he sighed. "Anyhow, when Judith gave birth, she was of course disappointed."

"Of course."

"Many wish for a certain child, but Judith really thought…and then with how quickly Susannah could get pregnant or her sister-in-law… She knew she would never have another and it devastated her that she did not get what she wanted."

They were silent for a minute then as they walked the halls, York seeming rather conflicted then.

"She did not…care for Luxa in the way a mother should. She could not. It was expected for her to have nannies, of course, being of royalty, but she did not even seem to…"

"Postpartum depression."

"Wh-What?"

"It is what she probably had," Gregor told him then, almost softly. "It is when a mother…after birth feels…badly, I guess. I mean, I'm not an expert, but that's probably what was wrong with her."

"Perhaps," York said slowly. "My only reason for bringing this up is that, after Luxa was born, someone needed to care for her. And Solovet could not. Lennox tried to, but he is a man, of course. And men are not meant to care for children."

"Of course not."

"And he was the King. He had many things he had to attend to. His brother's wife though, she also tried to care for Luxa, but she had her own children. That boy and Nerissa."

"Henry."

"Aye. And Nerissa was so…needy. She never was well, really. She…saw things as a child."

"I figured."

"So Susannah went. I did not want her to. We are rarely separated, less I am away at battle, so it bothered me for her to be gone. She had to take the girl too, Stellovet. She was so little. And I kept Howard. I did not…like it."

"I imagine not."

"So I visited frequently. And Susannah and I would take care of Luxa. Vikus was around too." York sighed. "We took care of her as our own though, with Howard and Stellovet. I think Susannah spent more time in the capital than in the Fount.

"Then, things with the gnawers went south once more and Judith was stressed even more. She and Susannah were never close, but one day, when they were fighting, Susannah told her that for someone that wished to have children, she had to be the worst mother in the world."

York laughed then, but it was without humor.

"And we were banished for the capital the next day. Judith wanted to take the Fount from us, send us into real banishment, but of course Lennox and Solovet kept that from happening. And Susannah cried and cried. She always cries, my fragile wife. I did not see Luxa again until…until Hamnet broke the dyke and went crazy."

"York-"

"She loved Hamnet, my wife did. And when Hamnet went crazy, she went to his side immediately. His bond was gone, he killed most everyone there, and he felt as if we all scorned him. Even Judith tried to make peace with him, tried to tell him it was not his fault. Nothing worked."

"York, what are you trying to tell me?"

"At the beginning? That I loved my niece and would kill you if you hurt her. Now? Now I am lost in my thoughts."

Gregor sighed. "Have you ever thought, York, that maybe if you retold these tales that more would listen than when you just ramble on about war and death?"

He only patted Gregor on the shoulder. "When you get to be my age, whatever that is, you learn that change is not advisable. You are young. You can change. I am an old man now. Long outstayed my welcome. A change now would only led me down a bad path."

Gregor swallowed then. "York? You say that you fought in battles? Even as the governor?"

"Oh, yes. You know this."

"So you left Susannah then? When she was pregnant? To go and fight?"

He paused at that. "Perhaps. I do not remember. I know I was there the entire time with the twins. That was a hard pregnancy."

"I'd bet."

"I remember that time very well. It was very scary. I almost lost my twins and my wife."

"…But you would have left her? If there was a war going on?"

"Now it is my turn to ask what you are trying to get me to say, Gregor." York glanced at him. "I cannot tell you to leave Luxa. I cannot tell you to stay with Luxa. I can tell you that I would rather you go, but that is the selfishness in me that wishes for you to kill Henry or the Reclaimer or whatever other threat there is."

"Then you think I should-"

"I think you are about to face a lot of things, all at once. A child, a wife, and a kingdom. I think it is easy to throw yourself into battle and forget your troubles, but it does not make you right or wrong."

"Luxa's pretty angry that I might go."

"Luxa will always be angry."

"She's scared."

"Luxa will always be scared." York shook his head slightly. "Susannah cries, Gregor, when I am angry at her. If I even show that I am slightly annoyed with her. So I tried for a long time not to get annoyed with her, as to keep her from doing so. But it was no good. She would still cry. Because Howard was crying or because I did not come to bed on time. Because Stellovet skinned a knee or the twins were fussy. She is just a crier. And Luxa is a worrier. If you stay, she will worry that you are bored with her or resent her. If you go, she will fear your death or you deciding just not to come back."

"…I am confused. Now you are telling me that no matter what I do, she shall be upset, so just do it anyways. Right?"

"I am telling you, Overlander, that I am a drunk that does not even truly know how to please his own wife. I only do what I want and then figure from there how to make it up to her. And even then, it is only when I realize that I have wronged her. Many times I do not until she is crying in our bed and refusing to even look at me."

"I'm lost again."

"I do not know how to keep Luxa happy, Gregor. I do not think it is possible, if her mother and grandmother are any indicator," York told him then. "Solovet thrived off the idea of killing the gnawers. All Judith wished for was a child. What does Luxa want that she cannot have? Once you know that, get it for her, if possible. Maybe that will work. Maybe it won't."

Then York sighed and looked off.

"I think I have failed, Gregor, in scaring you," he admitted.

"Was that the point of this?"

"Most certainly. I thought that I would strike fear in your heart so that you never wronged Luxa. But now I am only more confused myself and wish to go have my wife look after me." Then he paused. "Err, look after my wife. She is sick, after all."

"After all."

"She needs me." That made York happy again and made him laugh slightly, his normal, deep bellied one. "I love her, you know."

"I know."

When Gregor got to the royal wing that night, it was rather late. He wasn't completely sober, but then he figured it was the night before his wedding. He wasn't supposed to be sober.

Luxa was in bed, but Zander wasn't there with her. She was waiting for him that time though, Gregor could tell. Waiting to tell him to go away.

"It is our last night that we can spend apart. Leave me."

"I don't wanna spend any nights apart," was his response as he walked into the room. "Ever."

"Yet you plan to leave me."

He ignored that as he went to her bedside. It was only when she sat up that he smiled before going to get into his side.

"You reek of ale. Who were you with this time?"

"Myself," he admitted with a sigh. "Sorry."

"It is not the worst thing a man does before his wedding." Luxa crossed her legs then, turning to face him. Gregor quickly mimicked her position, staring into her eyes in the darkness.

Holding up her hand, Luxa waited for Gregor to follow that movement too, him quickly placing his open palm against hers. It only took her a second to speak.

"_Separate our journeys end, _

_But together they carry on._

_Our blood and bodies slowly blend,_

_Till the others light is gone._

_Forever our lives are entwined,_

_Together we face life and death._

_No matter words be evil or kind,_

_To you belongs my final breath._

_The days continue now for me through you,_

_And for you the same._

_Though happiness and love must not be true,_

_Only through you shall my light have flame._

_And so our fires begin to align,_

_Gregor the Overlander, I am yours and you are mine."_

He started at her for a moment before slowly beginning to repeat the first line…then he completely forgot the rest.

"Gregor-"

"It is a lot to remember, okay? In the Overland, they just tell you the vows and then you agree to them. Sickness, death, matrimony, all that good stuff, yeah?"

She only narrowed her eyes. "If you cared about me at all, you would memorize it."

"Luxa-"

"I suppose you have something to go back to your room and learn now, do you not?"

He only made a face. "Are you still mad about before? When Barrett said that he heard the gnawers mention Henry? Because that was totally not my fault."

She removed her hand from his then with frown. "It is your fault, Gregor."

"How? I didn't know he was going to say any of that. I-"

"You are the one that put the idea into his head, before, in the war room. Then he went and got a concussion and now believes it to be fact. He-"

"If you cared about me at all, you wouldn't be talking about him the day before our wedding."

She only gave him a look. "You brought it up. Not me."

"Yeah, but-"

"You tell me that you do not have to change? Fine then, Gregor. Why should I have to? You have know for a long time that I…that Barrett and I…that I care for him. If you get to go run off and get yourself killed, then I at least get to spend time with him."

He did not like that comparison. At all.

"You really want to start our marriage off like this?"

She only held her head up higher. "All I need is for it to last a day, to insure my child is not considered a bastard. Other than that, you are useless."

He stared so hard at her then that eventually she had to turn her gaze back to his. And then, when he did and their eyes locked, he smiled at her.

"You know I'd kill myself for you."

"Gregor-"

"And yet you always want more. You want me to do more. You want me to stay, then you want me to go. You don't know what you want, do you, Luxa?"

"I want you to leave right now, if that is-"

"Right. You want me to leave right now. In an hour, you will wish I was here to rub your stomach and tell you that tomorrow will be perfect."

"You-"

"I love you, alright? And…I want to go. But if you are going to bar me from going, then just come out and say it."

"Why? So that you can hate me? Blame me?"

Groaning, he fell over then, his head landing against a pillow "You kill me, you know that?"

"Is this how it is going to be, Gregor? Are you always going to want to leave?"

"Yeah, Lux. I am."

She slowly fell to her side next to him, a hand immediately moving to lay over her stomach. They just watched one another for a moment.

"I am not in love with Barrett."

He smiled at that. "I know. If I thought you really were, then I wouldn't be here right now."

"Then what do you think-"

"I think that you like playing with fire. I think that you like to make me jealous. And I think that you think that it's a game, but I know you too well, Luxa. You can take games too far. And if you ever took something too far with him, I'd-"

"And you like to leave me and ignore me and then throw my decisions back in my face."

He didn't smile that time. "When you are wrong, you are wrong. I cannot help it."

"Gregor-"

"Do you really want to marry me, Luxa?"

She stared at him for a moment before nodding her head. "Yes. I do not know why, but I do."

"You told me once that you did not want a king. That you hated the idea of sharing your power."

"I do. Very much so. But I hate the idea of my child being overlooked even more." She bit her lip then before slowly saying, "I love our child, Gregor."

"I know." Reaching over, he laid a hand on her stomach as well. "It's okay to say that, you know. I love the baby too. I just don't want to ruin this, you know?"

"Our relationship?" When he nodded, she snorted. "How could it get any worse?"

"Well," he began slowly. "We could hate each other for real eventually. When we say it, we could mean it."

"That would never happen."

"No?"

She scooted closer then, resting her head against his chest. "No."

Resting his head over hers, he let out a slow breath. No. It couldn't.

Could it?


	17. Chapter 17

The Living Dead

Chapter 17

Even though Howard had said that Gregor was all healed up, he still had a horrible migraine, but he always had those. Usually there was nothing that could make them go away, only things that could make them worse. And at the moment, everything was making them worse.

"You look tense, Overlander. My King. Lighten up, eh?" Mareth grinned at Gregor as he stood in front of him, reaching out with one hand to pat him on the shoulder. His other arm was wrapped around Perdita's shoulders, though she didn't look as ticked about it as usual. "The worst of it is over."

And it was. Gregor, though he stumbled, had managed through his vows before being shipped off to the throne room to make all sorts of wild promises that he was certain no king ever could live up to. Then he was rewarded with cheering and a crown, all because he had knocked up a queen. Huh.

Then there was the reception hall, which had been decorated lavishly, with enough food and music to keep everyone busy for days. There were servants and guards milling around, as well as musicians, but that did not outweigh the amount of guests. Whether or not they wanted Gregor as their king, he was and that meant that all the highborn politicians and military men had fought tooth and nail to get an invite to the party.

"It is a very nice party," Perdita offered to Gregor as Mareth leaned heavily against her. He had been drinking the entire day, the way Gregor wished he had been. He could tell to the way that Perdita was falling into Mareth's suggestive words he kept mumbling to her that she must have broken her vow of no alcohol and drank a little bit of something.

"Very nice." Mareth lulled his head down towards hers, mumbling something in her ear. Perdita only pushed him slightly, smiling.

They would hate each other by the end of the night. Gregor just knew it.

"Where is the Queen in all this then?" Mareth asked, looking around then. "I have not even congratulated her, so many people are around."

"Yes, where is Luxa?" Perdita asked. "She did not seem too happy at the coronation. Then, I would not be happy to split my power in half either."

"Luxa's around," Gregor said, reaching up to mess with his crown. It was the most aggravating thing in the world. The second he got out of the capital, he was taking it off, most certainly. "I guess. I kind of lost her on the way to the reception hall."

"It is a big party, of course," Mareth said though his eyes were drifting then. Some women over in the corner were calling for him. It was a completely different caliber of women at the party, considering it was a wedding and coronation reception. All of the women were highborn, but Mareth still could find someone to go home with if he was lucky. And Mareth was always lucky.

"Come on." Mareth took Perdita with him as he left Gregor, giving this really cheesy fake bow as before walking off, dragging his superior along with him. She had to know how the night would end. It's how it always ended.

Gregor took another look around the party, not feel all that well. Some musicians were playing that really crummy Underland music and there were far too many people. He kept getting congratulated and touched and had to shake hands, give hugs. His head was killing him.

The next person Gregor ran into was Howard, though he was busy talking in hushed tones to Hero about something. Gregor had seen her earlier, with some older men, and knew that Howard was not happy about it. Marrying Stellovet off was one thing. His baby sister though, Hero? Howard would never allow that.

"What's up?" Gregor asked as he came over to them. They were off in a corner, Howard lecturing her rather harshly. "It's a party, Howard. Don't-"

"You are horrible," Hero accused, looking off. "I-"

"You are not to be letting these men…sniff around you, Hero. They-"

"Hey, Howard, what if Hero hangs with me then?" Gregor grinned at the teen who only gave him a cold stare back. "I'm just walking around anyways."

Howard had to bite back words then before looking around the party. Gregor was his leader as of, oh, an hour ago. He couldn't snap at him any longer.

"I actually have to leave the party early," Howard said slowly then. "And I think that that would be a…great idea."

"You gotta go back to work?" Gregor frowned slightly. "You didn't even eat anything, did you? I mean-"

"The dying do not care about a new king, Gregor."

"Yeah, okay. Well…I'll see you tom-" He paused. "When I get back. From my trip. We can hangout or something."

"You're a king now. I do not think we will ever have time to…hangout any more."

That wasn't a total lost. It wasn't like they did a lot of that beforehand.

After Howard left them, Gregor only gave Hero a slight grin.

"You know that after I'm certain he's gone, I'm going to ditch you and pretend like we're not suddenly related."

"G-Gregor-"

"I'm just kidding. I have to just find someone to pawn you off on." He smiled at some people that walked passed them because, as Luxa told him, appearances were everything. Except, so far, he had not seen her anywhere. It would really tick him off if he found out she bailed on the party because if so, he would have loved to do the same.

Hero in tow, Gregor crossed the banquet hall over to where some tables and chairs were set up. That's where Zander had been the entire night, of course, since the food was right there.

"Hey, buddy. You still look pretty dapper."

He was sitting on the floor in front of Grace's chair, a plate of all sorts of food placed in front to him. His nice new clothes were ruined, but it wasn't like anyone was expecting anything less of him. Especially if food was present.

"'ork." Zander looked up and pointed over to the man, who wasn't seated very far away. He was spending the party drinking, as he always did. A good part of him staying loyal only to Susannah stemmed from the fact that he kept himself distant from most women. It helped curve the desire.

"That is York, isn't it?" Grace said back to the toddler as she absently looked around the party, no doubt searching for her daughters. Boots was around, Gregor had seen her a couple of times, with Hazard. Lizzie wasn't one for parties though and had gone back to the royal wing, Gregor was pretty sure. Which was fine. It was what he wanted to do, honestly.

Zander just went back to eating though, ignoring Gregor as he pressed the face of his tiger into the plate as well, sharing his food with the inanimate object. He did that from time to time.

"Oy. Overlander." York raised his hand then, beckoning him over. Gregor glanced at Hero before heading over to the man's table. Susannah wasn't around, which was really suspect.

"Hey, York. Having a good time?"

"No one will pay me any attention," he said with a frown. "My wife, she is busy mingling with other women or something. And the men, they are only interested in the women as well. What has happened to the capital?"

"I think it's always been that way."

He grunted. "Used to be a time everyone liked to talk about war."

Gregor sighed. "Did you want me to-"

"It's your wedding. I spent mine getting drunk. And I didn't have to leave the next day. So go. Get drunk. Forget your troubles. Wish that still worked for me."

Hero, who had come over with Gregor, only frowned. "Perhaps Mother thought that you would mingle with her, York?"

He grunted. "I do not like hearing her speak to other women. She gets that tone and that voice and those…opinions."

"How dare she," Gregor mumbled with an eye roll.

"My own fault, I suppose. Made her think that her thoughts were important. Now she thinks that she should just spout them off."

Making a face, Hero said, "Have you seen Kent, Father?"

"Aye. He is keeping tabs on Perdita, waiting for Mareth to leave her alone. Says tonight is the night."

"The night for what?" Gregor asked with a frown. York only shrugged.

"I could only assume."

"Oh God," Gregor groaned, turning to walk off then. Perdita's night was soon to get a lot worse.

He couldn't focus on that at the moment though. He still had to get rid of Hero, after all, and then find Luxa. If she was at the party, he figured they were supposed to be seen together. Unless she had skipped out to go be with Barrett, in which case Gregor was very pissed off.

That opportunity to ditch Hero presented itself quite nicely in the appearance of Matthias. He was clearly out of place with all the higher-ups around and the second he spotted his new king, he rushed over.

"Gregor, I-"

"Matthias," Gregor said with a grin. His immediate happiness over the younger male was simply having someone to hangout with. Then he thought of a better idea as Hero stood there awkwardly at his side, having followed him from York's table. There was no way she was being left alone with her drunk father, after all. "Here you are."

"Yes, I-"

"Have you met my new cousin?" Gregor laid a hand on Hero's shoulder then. "You have no doubt seen her before. She is York's daughter. His middle daughter. Of age daughter."

Hero frowned at Gregor that one, but it kept Matthias perked up, who immediately moved to shake Hero's hand, almost in an overly friendly manner.

"Hi," he said, grinning brightly. "I am Matthias. Gregor and I worked on the guard together, before…before all this."

"You are still dressed in your armor," she said slowly, looking him over. He still had his helmet on as well which about made Gregor roll his eyes and give up on the boy. "Are you on duty?"

"Oh, no," he said, shaking his head. "I was at the coronation, but I was outranked in who got to guard here. Gregor offered me an invitation to come though, just last night. Of course, the wedding was just announced last week, so-"

"Matthias, I highly doubt Hero wants to talk about something so…boring," Gregor said slowly, giving him a hard look. The guy had taken Gregor's freaking sister to the mess hall, but couldn't even be bothered to try and hit on Hero? Seriously? When Gregor needed him most? "You no doubt have many…non-war related things to talk about, huh?"

"Non-war?"

"Hero is a, well, are you a pacifist then?" Gregor grinned at her, but she was clearly suspicious of his motives.

"Well, not exactly, but-"

"Talk to Matthias, not me. He is the one that wants to know."

"Gregor-"

"Oh, wow," he said then, cutting Hero off. "Look, there's…someone I need to go see. You guys stay here and talk. I'll be back, huh?"

Yeah right. He had just successfully given Matthias his own little gift while also helping out Howard. There was no way Matthias would manage anything with Hero, but by the same token, at least it gave him some experience points.

Gregor set off with a purpose, as to fool Hero and Matthias into thinking he was heading somewhere important, but he only ended up further into the crowd of people in the center of the room with no destination and an even worse headache.

And still no Luxa. Gregor had resolved at that point to the realization that she had ditched out on the party. It wasn't a completely bad thing though. He knew that her stomach had been bothering her as of late and being around a lot of drunks at the party wouldn't have been too good for her.

More than his desire to find his wife or to rid himself of his headache was Gregor's need to get that damn crown off. It was not comfortable. At all. He thought that maybe it'd be like wearing a baseball cap or something, but it wasn't. It was annoying and it was aggravating the cut on the back of his head. He would have to talk to Luxa about it.

If he could ever find her.

He ran into Stellovet and Lycos at one point, though it was clear they were having problems. It was obvious to Gregor that though Lycos wanted a wife for many reasons, one of them no doubt getting in good with his queen, he also wasn't ready to give it other women. That was what they were fighting over. Gregor could just tell from the clipped way Stellovet spoke to him and her obvious distaste. Maybe the wedding would be called off. York did say he never wanted his children unhappy.

Susannah was next on Gregor's list of people he saw. She immediately called him over, even breaking from the conversation she was having with the women she was standing with. It was obvious that she was still not feeling well, but she was putting on a good show.

"Oh, Gregor, it is so good to finally be able to say you are in the family and mean it." Susannah kissed his cheeks when he was close enough and, since he had always liked her so much, he allowed it. "York was disappointed in me, when I cried at your coronation, but I could not help it. How could I?"

"York is actually getting drunk and upset right now," Gregor told her softly as he hugged her. He would never know Judith, but if she was the opposite of Susannah, he was actually kind of glad for that. One Solovet was more than enough for his taste.

"Over what?"

"He thinks he is being wronged because no one wishes to talk about-"

She kissed his cheek again. "I will go speak with him. He calls me emotional, but he is as well. Just in different ways."

That was true. That was very true.

After departing from Susannah, Gregor made his way back over to his mother, figuring she had tired of Zander by that point. If she had, she was not showing it. There were no other children at the party and he probably would have been better suited in the nursery, but Gregor didn't see it as mattering much. He didn't like other kids anyhow.

"Mom, let me take him, huh? He's a mess," was the first thing Gregor said to his mother. Zander had migrated to her lap, apparently full and satisfied as he stretched out in her lap, not even reaching for Gregor when he walked up. Zander wasn't stupid. He might not know who Grace was really, but he did know that she would give him practically whatever he asked for as well as protect him from Gregor when he had done wrong. That was the type of woman you kept around, after all.

"No, Gregor. I told you that he is fine."

"Mom-"

"Go do something else. We are fine." She looked down at Zander then who only grinned at her. "Except for his teeth. Honestly, Gregor, back home this would not-"

"Mom, he's fine. And kids hurt one another in the Overland too."

She only patted Zander's stomach who responded by hiccupping. "Go do something fun, Gregor. It's your…wedding, as much as I hate it, and that means that you should be enjoying yourself."

"I wish I could, but I can't find anyone that I want to be around."

"Then maybe you're not looking hard enough."

Though that wasn't really any help, it did give him the idea that perhaps he should go look for Luxa again. Just scan the party once more time before giving up. Besides, he had not been the most social man that night and it was really his job at the moment to make as many people as possible to like him. He would always be the underdog, always be the Overlander, but his one hope was that he got enough people on his side that the opposition wouldn't matter.

He had just finished talking to some women his age when a large hand clapped down on his shoulder. He did not have to turn to know who it was, but he glanced up at him anyhow.

"They were nice, eh?" York squeezed Gregor's shoulder then, just standing there watching as the women melded into the crowd. "But Luxa is nicer, huh?"

"York-"

"If I can change my ways, Overlander, surely you can keep yours." He leaned down then, as he was slightly taller than Gregor, and whispered, "Last night I was too happy that Susannah was with me to find the part of me that can instill fear. I found it."

"I won't-"

"If you ever lie with another, Overlander, it shall be the last you lie with." He squeezed Gregor's shoulder sharply then and Gregor wondered how York ever even got to his feet. He found out a moment later as Susannah appeared and York's grip relaxed.

"York, I said to come with me. Not stop and bother Gregor."

"I am following you, Suzy. Just at a much slower pace." He let Gregor go completely then before patting his no doubt bruising shoulder. "Just showing some love towards him. I have only one other nephew, after all."

"Do not let him bother you, Gregor." Susannah reached out to grab both her husband's hands, keeping her eyes centered in on his. "He is a thoroughly sour man when he sees me spend time with others."

"I am a very possessive man, Susannah. You know that as well as anyone. Better than anyone."

"Then possess me."

That excited York, who immediate wrangled his hands from hers before moving to cup her cheeks. Barf. As much as Gregor loved the fact that York and Susannah were so…in love, it also made him uncomfortable at times. Times like what was going on in that moment.

Gregor had had enough of the party at that point. More than enough.

He was glad that the party was being held in the banquet hall instead of the arena, if only because it was in the palace, which meant he didn't need anyone to take him back.

The walk to the royal wing was a rather awkward one. There were more guards posted than usual, as to keep the banquet hall secure, should anything happen. Word of Barrett's attack was being kept to a minimum, but the guards all knew to be on high alert. A wedding and a coronation just having happened, after all.

"Here you are," Gregor sighed as, before he made it to the royal wing, he ran into Luxa. She was coming out of the war room and seemed shocked to find him. "What are you-"

"Overlander, go back to the party. You-"

"It's your party too," he mumbled as he took a step closer to her. "Gonna tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing is going on, Gregor. I just did not feel like making nice with people."

"I think today is the one day that we overwhelmingly have to do just that."

She looked up at him as he fell into step with her. "I was busy with Nerissa and Barrett to begin with. Then I got a scroll and took it to the war room to read over."

"From?"

"That same scout that is trying to locate Ripred. The one that saved you."

He nodded slightly. "Any news?"

"None."

So they walked along all the way to the royal wing, none of the guards speaking to them, though a few had a knowing look in their eyes. It was their wedding day, after all.

The second they were in the royal wing and alone, Gregor forced Luxa up against one of the walls and leaned down, burying his head in her neck. She only laughed, reaching up to stroke his head.

"You look so…silly with that crown on."

"I feel silly," he mumbled. `It's annoying too. Do I have to wear it?"

"For now," she told him with a sigh. "Maybe in a few months we can discuss taking it off."

"In here though? With you? Can I?"

"If you want."

"I want you right now, actually."

"Greg-"

"Are you mad at me or something? It's been-"

"I am mad at you. Very mad at you."

"Luxa-"

"It is not as if it would be a real wedding night anyhow," she whispered to him then, even though he knew they were completely alone. "What has changed? You have vowed to stay by my side? You have to wear a gold band around your head, even though you hate it? What difference will it make, now that we are married?"

"I dunno," he mumbled before kissing her neck. Against it, he mumbled, "Wanna find out?"

Making a face, she pushed his head back to stare at him. For a moment, he thought that she was going to turn him down. Then, suddenly she reached for his hand before moving to go around him and drag him along behind her.

"Lets."

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?"<p>

"We cannot just lay here forever, Gregor."

He groaned. "Why not?"

"Because I have to finalize on-" She stopped herself then as she sat up next to him, having been curled against him only moments before. "_We_ have to finalize all sorts of things for your leaving tomorrow. I gave you what you wanted now-"

"Oh, please. Like you didn't like that." He wiggled his feet. "Lay back down. We have time to do all that later."

"No, Greg, we don't."

Greg. She wasn't too annoyed.

"I'm cold now," he grumbled as she started to get out of bed. "Luxa-"

"The sooner we take care of all this, the sooner that we can return to our bed. Possibly for the last time."

He sat up then, watching as she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to smooth it out. He only grinned though.

"You're pretty, Luxa."

"Beautiful. I used to be that. Then I became…hot. Now I am just pretty?"

"You can't be everything? 'cause you are. Luxa." He laughed slightly then, running a hand over his face. It still didn't feel completely real. "I love you."

"Enough. Get dressed. And put your crown back on. I told you-"

"I will. You know you hate me in it as much as I hate myself in it."

"More than you know, Overlander."

"Luxa-"

"Come on. Now. I need you to go and get Perdita and Mareth."

"What? They're probably still at-"

"Probably. But we need them. Unless…well, we could plan alone, I suppose. Perdita wrote down her plans, anyhow, so I will just go over them. With you. There is a boat involved, if you do not know."

"To get us deep into the Dead Lands. Yeah, I know. That's where some of the scouts that she wants to find the most are located."

"Then you do know." Luxa watched as he slowly stretched, almost lazily. "Up, Overlander."

"You're so bossy. Is it too late for an annulment?"

"Gregor-"

"I have a headache," he told her then as he slowly got out of bed. "A really bad one."

"You probably are just tired." She paused then, staring at him. "You are leaving tomorrow, I suppose. So, maybe, you should just lie back down. I suppose."

"I'm just messing with you. I have a headache, yeah, but I'll go with you to the war room. I am the King now, after all."

"Stop saying it so much. I have tired of hearing it."

"Oh, Lux." He moved to wrap his arms around her, though she did not seem as receptive. "You just love me so much it hurts."

"If you do not stop-"

"Day one and you can't take it already, eh?"

"Day one? As if something has changed? Other than the fact that others must now respect you to your face while they continue to disrespect you behind your back, nothing has changed, Gregor. And do not think it has."

"Nothing then? You don't feel any different? Now that-"

"Do you?" She sounded truly doubtful. "So they threw us a party. So you stumbled through some vows. So you now hold power. What's different, Gregor? You always held power with me. You know that you did. I have only ever wanted you. Always. What has this changed then?"

"You don't love me any more?"

"How could I love you more than I already did? It makes no sense. Marriage is just a symbol to others. There opinions or views of us may change, but if we were to be changed by it, then that reflects poorly on us to begin with."

'Ugh. Stop talking." He let her go. "You're making my headache worse."

"Do you love me more now?"

"Who said I love you at all? That this all wasn't a ploy to becoming the King?"

"Careful, Overlander. You are still a foreigner."

"Mmmm." He looked around before stretching again. Then, through a tired voice, he said, "Dress me."

"What?"

"Why is it that you can undress me, but if I ask you to help me into my clothes, it's suddenly less erotic?"

She blinked. Then she went back to getting ready. "Do not annoy me anymore, Gregor."

There still were few people around the palace when they left the royal wing. Luxa just led him right to the war room, making no stops in between.

"Do I get to sit wherever I want now?"

"Behave."

He only went over to the table, frowning down at it. "Do you not ever get tired of this damn map?"

"Mmmm. We will be getting a new one soon enough."

"What do you mean?"

"The Underland has changed. You know this. Part of the Uncharted Lands is being excavated and charted. We will have more things to fill in. Less darkness." She smiled slightly then. "It would have fascinated Vikus. He would have wished to find some sort of peace with all the creatures we find there. Even the ones in the caves that nearly killed you and I. He is that sort of man…was that sort of man."

"Solovet would want to kill them all."

"Mmmm. All of them. And take the land for our own."

"Or drive the gnawers there."

"Only if she knew it meant certain death." Then she paused. "I think, though, that she would wish to examine the banished's city. See if it could benefit us. We are overrun here and the Fount, truly. I have wondered if perhaps…we could cultivate it. They found a life there. Could others not?"

"It would be hard to govern. You would need-"

"York is too old to go and govern it for me." Then she paused. "For us. But…but Mareth is not."

He looked up at that. "Neither is Barrett. He is even more suited for it."

"You love to torture me."

"I do." He pulled out a chair for her. "Sit."

"Gregor-"

"Sit."

Once she was, he moved to sit in his normal seat, sighing slightly as he hunched over, resting his head in his hands.

"Nike is going with you, yes?"

Gregor groaned. "I mentioned it to her, yeah."

"Have you-"

"Haven't really had time to talk to her, Lux."

"Then you want Aurora? Because I do not-"

"I don't know, alright? I'm sure if I go find Nike tonight, she'll say yes to whatever. And if she doesn't, Aurora certainly will, so it doesn't matter, does it?"

"If you were not feeling so badly, I would thump your head."

"Thanks for the consideration."

"Gregor, you are not a child anymore," she said, ignoring that. "You cannot just sit around and wait for others to make your plans for you. You are the King. You do not take orders any longer. You make them."

"Except with you," he mumbled. "I take orders from you."

"Well, yes, but that is just a given."

"It still doesn't seem…real. Like…remember when you fired me? From being a guard? And then I suddenly was a general? It feels like that. Like one of our games or something."

"This very much so is real, Gregor, and I feel the effects of it already."

Rolling his eyes, he said, "I'm just still, you know, antsy from this morning. I still feel nervous and just want this all to be over so we can go back to normal. Or to make a new normal."

She reached out to pick up one of the markers, turning it over in her hand before setting it back down. "I was nervous too. About everything. I thought…I thought something would happen. Something bad. I am slightly shocked to find it has not. It has only made me even more anxious for the coming days."

"What do you mean?"

"I have married the Overlander. That is going to make someone upset. Someone that can do something to us. And with you gone I just…I do not want Zander far."

"No one would want to hurt Zander, Luxa. Why would they? He's not…I love him, but he's not worth anything. Only to us."

"That's the point, Gregor. Everyone knows that he is my…child, I guess is what he is."

So the love about the loss of teeth was gone. Took long enough.

"They know that I would do anything to protect him," she went on. "He is just as Hazard would be, before he became a disappointment."

"Luxa," Gregor groaned. "Can we hold off on calling Hazard that for awhile? Please?"

"Why? He does disappoint me. He-"

"Name me a single person that doesn't disappoint you. Please."

She paused then before saying, "Ripred."

"Ripred," he said slowly. "Ripred does not disappoint you?"

She shook her head. "I had no standards of him, no expectations. Therefore he cannot disappoint me."

Sigh. So the Hazard ship had sailed. Huh.

"While you are gone, I am going to be without Barrett and Perdita. As well as you. It shall just be Mareth and I in this room." She let out a slight sigh. "You do realize that if you and Perdita are gone, there will be no one here to protect the capital, yes?"

"It is only because you decline every man she wishes to bring up."

"Life was easier when Solovet picked the men."

"Life was easier when Solovet and Vikus did everything."

"It was not better though."

"No, not better."

They both sighed then and looked off, as if one. Luxa finally glanced back at him though, watching his face for a moment before speaking.

"If we lived in your home, above, what would we be doing right now?"

"Right now? We'd still be at a reception, probably, for our wedding," he told her with a sigh. "And after that was over, we'd be headed out on our honeymoon." After taking her silence as a cue, he said, "That's when a married couple takes a few weeks off work and just hangout together somewhere nice. Like the mountains or a beach. Somewhere cool."

"What happens to their work while they are gone?"

Of course that was her main concern. Rolling his eyes, Gregor said, "Trust me. It's fine."

"Hmmm. It sounds…stressful."

"What?"

"Weeks? Days? Away from work? What if something happened while you were gone?" She shook her head slightly. "It sounds selfish. If I just went to the Fount for even three days, there is no telling what a general would do here without me overseeing them. What mess the soldiers would get into. And I would just ignore it? Because I was…married? Silly. Just silly."

"I'm going to teach you to relax one day," he told her with a sigh as he reached over to squeeze one of her shoulders softly. "You like that?"

She only rolled her shoulders slightly. "We're supposed to be discussing things, Gregor. Not sitting here as you-"

"Right. Sorry." He let her go. "Continue."

After giving him a hard look, she preceded to go into a long explanation of the path that they were going to be taking, making him trace it with his fingers a thousand times. It was annoying, yeah, but he could tell it was making her feel better. That was the only concern he had.

Eventually a guard called out for them, informing them that the Overlander's mother was requesting them in the royal wing. Zander was upset and unable to be consoled. Gregor had a feeling that the boy was really just tired and needed Luxa to put him to bed. He'd been up since early that morning, after all.

When they got to the royal wing, the first place they went was Zander's bedroom, where they could hear him crying. Grace was in there with him, trying to calm him down, but he was having none of it.

"What's wrong?" Gregor asked as Luxa rushed to go take him from the woman, giving his mother an evil look as if she had caused the toddler's discomfort. "Mom?"

"Nothing. I took him back from the party and he just got upset. I tried to calm him down, but-"

"His tiger." Luxa kissed Zander even when he batted at her. "Where is it?"

"Tiger?" Grace shook her head then. "I must have left it at the-"

"Gregor, go." Luxa gave him a look. "Hurry and find it. That is what he wants."

"All this for a toy?"

"It's not a toy to him, Mom. It's his safety blanket," Gregor sighed as he turned to walk away. "It's all he cares about."

So he left the royal wing, heading back to the banquet hall. It felt like a short trip, but a big hassle. He found the tiger almost immediately, as it was just sitting on the table his mother had been at. It was what he stumbled across that caused him issues.

Most the older men were gone by that point, off with whatever women they were going to take home. Gregor did not spot Mareth or Perdita, but that did not necessarily mean anything good. In fact, it probably meant she was seething somewhere, alone, and would be a horrible person to deal with the next morning while Mareth was getting very, very lucky back at his room in the palace.

Only the young were left, really. And he spotted almost immediately Lizzie and Hero with Matthias, alone, at a table, all drinking. Because that was just great. That was just perfect.

Gripping the stuffed tiger tightly in his hands, Gregor forgot about Zander for a moment and remembered his little sister. Luxa would figure out a way to calm the toddler down anyhow. She always did.

"Hey, guys," Gregor began as he approached the table. Matthias was seated in between both girls, trying to listen while Hero spoke, but also not completely ignoring Lizzie either, who was completely glaring at Hero. Ugh. Gregor's head hurt.

It was much easier just to pledge yourself to someone at twelve and be miserable for the rest of your life. Much.

"H-Hello, Gregor," Matthias greeted when he looked up to see him. "I thought that you had left."

Gregor only sat down on the opposite side of the table. "I had. But Zander left his little tiger here and I came back for it."

"Well, now you have it," Lizzie told him with a frown.

"Yeah, I do, Lizzie. I have it."

"What are you-"

"Lizzie, I think your brother wants you to, you know, go?" Hero laid a hand on Matthias' arm causing the man to smile slightly. "I think it's your bedtime or something."

Gregor groaned as Lizzie took to glaring at Hero. What happened to his little sister that was too afraid to even speak to a stranger? He used to wish that she was someone different, but he was slowly learning why people always said be careful with those.

"It is getting late, I suppose," Matthias said slowly before looking at Gregor. When he saw the other man's glare he only gave him a weak smile back. "For us all. I have duty in the morning, after all."

"After all," Gregor said slowly before looking to Lizzie. "Take this to Mom and Luxa in the royal wing, huh? I-"

"No, Gregor," she said though she did take the tiger when he handed it to her. "I'm-"

"You're going to go do as I said is what you're going to do, Lizzie."

They had a glaring match then, but at her heart, Lizzie was still who she always was and caved first. After she was gone, Gregor only continued to stare at Matthias, who was trying hard to look innocent. Gregor had told him before about being alone with his sister, after all.

"Do you not have somewhere to be, Greg-" Hero stopped herself before biting her tongue. "King?"

"What happened to your father and mother? And brother? And sister?"

"Look around. They are all gone. I am speaking to…to..." She looked to Matthias to help who readily said his name. She only smiled slightly, a very fake one, before saying, "Right. Matthias."

Gregor let out a slow breath before getting to his feet. "Don't let me catch you with my sister again, Matthias. But if you want to talk to Hero…I don't care. But if Howard asks, Hero-"

"I ditched you and you lost me in the crowd."

Then he looked back to Matthias. "She belongs back in her room, without you, before the night is through. I mean it."

So he left them then because really, neither of them were his problem. He liked Hero enough and yeah, she was sort of family at that point, but she was also an adult in the Underland. He didn't want anything to happen to her and he was certain that Matthias would make sure nothing did. Nothing she didn't want to happen anyways.

And he was better than any of the older men.

When Gregor finally got back to the royal wing, Zander was all settled down for the night and Luxa was in bed. He had made a stop off at his old room to take the rest of his things with him to Luxa's, which made him miss seeing his mother, as she was already out of the royal wing by the time he showed up.

"Mmm. So are we going to, like, screw again or is that just too much for you to handle?"

Luxa didn't even blink as he came into the room. "The thought of you sleeping next to me is enough to sate me for now. Believe me."

He just went and dropped his box of stuff on the floor before dropping his armor down in a corner with a clank.

"That is _not_ where that is going to go," Luxa told him with a frown."

"Heck it ain't. This is my room now."

"Gregor-"

"Calm down. I'm sure we'll find a place for everything, alright? Just let me relax for the next few hours. Before I go."

"Before you go."

When he got into bed, she gave him her back, which wasn't a completely horrible thing. His head was hurting him and it wasn't like he thought that they were going to have sex again or something. He wasn't that stupid.

"Is this the part where we promise to be with one another forever and that this was the happiest day of our life? Or where I pledge to come back to you? Something?"

"This is the part where I sleep, Gregor," she told him with a sigh. "And forget that I am now stuck with you."

"Stuck is a harsh word." He laid on his back, stroking his own chest. "And hey, now maybe I'll have more scars for you to trace. You know, with your finger, your mouth, tongue. I'm not particular."

"Gregor, please, just be quiet and let me-"

"No, Luxa. Because if I'm quiet then…then you go to sleep and it's over. Our wedding is over. And then it's real. And then we're really married and then I'm the King and then…then…"

"You know how many would kill for your position?"

"More than I like to think about."

That made her roll over, though she only laid there, staring up at his face. "I am only worried about you, Gregor. Before, you had a bounty on your head merely to use as a pawn against me. Now you actually hold power. Real power, not just the power to influence me. You are a king now. You are _the_ King now. It would do more to Regalia to see you killed than just torture me. Do remember that."

He glanced over at her before back up at the ceiling. "If you don't want me to go, now is your last chance. Say it now or forever hold your peace kinda stuff, eh?"

She only continued to watch him before saying slowly, "Go, Gregor. It's something that you are going to have to figure out for yourself, when to be here and when to leave. I cannot do it for you."

He let out a long yawn then before shutting his eyes. "When I get back from this, we can discuss it more, I guess. For future references and stuff."

Sighing, she said, "You speak as if you will come back with certainty."

"Of course I will. I've faced cave monsters, a giant rat, volcanoes, cutters. What could ever kill me, Luxa?"

"Far, far too much," she sighed as she moved to rest her head against his chest. "Far more than you know."


	18. Chapter 18

The Living Dead

Chapter 18

"I cannot believe that she is late."

"Why can you not believe it? You are the one that got her intoxicated last night."

"Are you sure you are supposed to be out of the hospital?"

Barrett only smirked back at Mareth, his feet up on the table as he slouched over in his chair. "It will just be me and you, Mareth, while they are gone. Do not start it off on the bad foot. Err, well, your only foot, I suppose."

"You-"

"Would you both stop talking?" York was laying with his head down on the table, almost snoring slightly. "Perdita will come when she comes."

"You have no right to speak," Mareth accused then, glaring over at the man. "It is your…filthy son that she went off with last night. Why-"

"God, really?" Gregor made a face, stopping his pacing around the room for a moment in shock. "Kent?"

"Of course," Mareth remarked with disdain as he stood there, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the doorway. "Who else would she find herself with?"

"Your jealousy, it amuses me. Tell me, are you going to be this way always or-"

"You went home with someone last night, Mareth," Gregor said then. "Didn't you?"

"That's different. That…boy is just that. A boy. He has no business messing with Perdita."

"That's the problem with us," York remarked then with a soft sigh. "When we are young and can get the younger women, we want older, more experienced ones. Then, when we are old, we finally realize the true beauty in purity, but then they do not want us. We never get the timing right, men. We constantly want what we cannot have."

Barrett snorted. "Speak for yourself. Young is always better. Always."

Gregor only sighed. "Mareth, glaring at the door isn't going to do anything. Besides, I highly doubt that anything happened between them so just take a breath. Perdita's probably just, like, hungover or whatever."

"She knows her duty. She is the one that wanted to go on this damn mission. I am not sending her and Kent off with _my_ bond. So they can what? Spend endless amounts of time with one another and-"

"Okay, ew, I'm going to be on that trip too, alright?" Gregor made a face. "And a medic. So calm down with the wild assumptions and fears. Perdita is very work driven. We're going to go check in on the scouts and then-"

"I do not understand your concern anyhow, Mareth. I have known of Perdita since Solovet moved her up in the ranks. The likelihood that she is with my son is very low."

"I always thought that she was not interested in…men much less boys," Barrett said then, even sounding nervous in his normal abrasiveness to broach the subject. It was rather taboo in the confines of the Underland and most did not take well to it at all. "In fact, I always assumed she was more perverse than you, Mareth."

"Watch your mouth." He turned his heavy gaze onto Barrett who only gave him a wry look back. "Perdita is most certainly not… She was betrothed before, anyhow."

"What?"

York groaned. "Calvus was a good man."

"He was not." Mareth made a face. "He was merely a death machine."

Laughing, the man finally lifted his head. "Big, strong man. Bigger than me, I would dare to suggest. Powerful. He did not wield two swords, as I, which is why I am obviously the better soldier, but-"

"York," Gregor sighed while Barrett only dropped his feet back to the ground, interested for once. He was only a few years older than Gregor, after all, and had never heard of the man.

"What happened to him?" he asked with a frown. "I have never heard of him. Is he in the Fount? I think I would-"

"He died with many others in the Garden of Hesperides," Mareth said simply before shaking his head. "He was one of Hamnet's men. One of his friends. We served together. And when the dyke broke, he was… He did not make it. There is nothing else to tell."

"Except that I bested him countless times in the battle field." York just had to throw that in. "He was strong, fine, tough, yes, but he was not better than me."

"No one said he was, old man," Barrett finally said with a frown. "Now, Mareth, was Perdita at the Garden of-"

"No. Enough. We will not speak of it."

"You're the one that brought Hamnet back, right?" Gregor asked slowly. "That is what Ripred-"

"Enough."

"Calvus." Barrett grunted slightly. "He must not have been that great of a man if I nave never even heard of him."

"You have not heard of him for the same reason we do not speak of any of the dead. They are gone. They are not with us and no longer need to be mentioned."

"You are jealous of the dead too?" Barrett snorted. "It is almost sorry, Mareth. You get onto Kent for being hung up on her and here you are, still scorning her dead…whatever he was to her."

"Be quiet. You are nothing, but a-"

"Not a cripple, which immediately places me above you."

York only smacked his lips then before sighing. "Calvus, now that was dark man."

"I thought you just said he was good?" Gregor asked with a frown. "York?"

"He is a good man. For me. A good story teller. Was rather cold though in most other regards."

Gregor tried to picture Perdita with a guy like that, or any guy for that matter, but he just couldn't.

"Is this what you do then, when I am away? You gossip? You sound like women," Luxa accused as she chose then to come into the room, unaccompanied. "Honestly, I-"

"Were you with Perdita then?" Mareth looked to her for answers. "Is that why you are late?"

"I am not late, Mareth. Nothing begins until I arrive. Therefore, I cannot be late."

He didn't have time for her word play. "Did you see her?"

"No. Of course not. And stop questioning me." She went over to the table to frown at York and Barrett. "What are you doing here, Uncle? And you, Barrett? Out of the hospital?"

"I just left. The second I could. Had to see the Overlander off to his death."

Gregor sent him a look. "You had better-"

"It is true. I have already warned you. They want your blood. That man, Henry, is coming for you, Gregor. You should be staying behind these walls to protect not only yourself, but also your wife and child. Or children, I suppose."

"Quiet, boys. Honestly, can you not spend the next hours without going at each others throats?" Luxa folded her arms with a sigh. Gregor knew why she had been late. She hadn't felt well when they got up early that morning and had stayed in bed a little longer when he promised he'd never leave without saying goodbye first. "You said that Perdita has not shown up, Mareth?"

"No," he said with a frown. "I am concerned."

"Concerned enough to speak ill of her behind her back?"

"No one was speaking ill of her, I assure you," Mareth said with a shake of his head. "The Overlander and Barrett were merely curious."

"Curiosity is the death of all." Luxa turned to York then. "What are you doing in here?"

"I thought that I should be here. If the Overlander and the head of the military are leaving, you need me."

"I do not need anyone, Uncle. And what of Susannah? She let you come here?"

York hesitated before saying, "Susannah has not felt well, you know, and took some medicine before bed last night. She is in a heavy sleep. It was very easy for me to-"

"You drugged her?" Barrett laughed then. "Honestly? Is that how you keep her-"

"Careful, boy," York warned, frowning at him. "I am not the Overlander or Mareth. You speak ill of my woman or I and I will have no problem with scalping you."

Barrett looked to Luxa then, but she was focused on going through the backpack Gregor had brought into the war room, full of things he was taking with them on the trip.

"I do not drug my wife," York said harshly then, to them all. "She is sick. And should anyone wish to discuss it further, I have no problem with-"

"Calm yourself, Uncle. Barrett has quite the tongue."

"Yes, well, not all of us enjoy such a thing."

Mareth only went back to staring at the door. "I should go to her home. She overslept. That is all. That must be all. There is no way that-"

"It would not have been much a night," Barrett said slowly. "If it was Trent she went home with. Not the performance of a lifetime, I am assuming."

Rolling her eyes, Luxa looked up at Gregor then. "You've sharpened your blades?"

"Aye." He patted them before saying, "I am not wearing armor though, Luxa."

"Gregor-"

"I'm not. You always want me to wear it. I'm over it. It is uncomfortable and harder for me to fight in."

"Then you should train in it more often. You-"

"You married a man, Luxa. A warrior." York leaned back in his chair. "Do not act as if you did not know that now."

Luxa let out a huff, staring her uncle down before shaking her head. Great. Now they had ticked her off as well.

"If Perdita does not get here soon, I'm going to-"

"She'll get here when she gets here." Gregor went over to her then, laying a hand on her arm. "You wanna sit down?"

"No, Overlander, I do not-"

"Sit, Luxa. Either that or go get me some ale." York let out a long sigh. "It would alleviate me."

"Yes, York, because that's all I want to do in my life. Make the world easier for you to live in."

"You speak like him more and more each day," he remarked, smiling when she shot him a glare. "Now go get me some-"

"You do _not_ command me, York," she told him in her harshest tone of the day. So far, anyhow. "At all. And do not think that I-"

"Then sit down. That is all I want." York let out a slow breath. "Other than a drink."

"I will go get you a drink, York," Gregor sighed, heading to the door then. "If the two of you stop fighting. And maybe I'll find Perdita on the way."

"Do not go, Gregor." Luxa finally took her seat with a loud groan. "He will not drink in here any longer. He will not be in here any longer. I do not wish to see you, York."

"How unfortunate for you, little one, that I plan to stay in the capital with you until your husband returns."

"Wh-What?"

"I wish to be here to get Hero and Stellovet settled, regardless," he said with a shrug. "And with you so unprotected-"

"I have guards."

"Where?" He looked around the room. "Used to be you would have guards in here, with you. Now you are alone with generals that are upset with you half the time. I-"

"I had guards before, York, because Gregor was-"

"Well, Gregor won't be here, alright? And you are with child, whether you like it or not. So you need someone who-"

"I need a drunk?"

"You need your uncle and you have him. So stop arguing with me about it." York finally got to his feet. "I will go now then, to find something to drink. To check on Susannah. I will be back though, Luxa, when they leave on their journey. So do not get too comfortable."

York was almost to the curtained partition when suddenly Perdita came in, looking worse for wear, Kent following along behind her. Mareth's jaw about hit the floor while Luxa finally lost her annoyed look and took an amused one. Barrett only sat back once more, staring at the door, laughing slightly.

"You're late," Gregor said after the shock wore off. "You-"

"I apologize," she said, bowing her head slightly. "I was-"

"How could you do this, Perdita?" Mareth was not one to contain himself when he was upset or disappointed. Angry either. "How could you-"

"How could I what? Be late?"

"A boy? This boy? You-"

"I need a drink." York sighed, patting Kent on the head before heading out of the room. "A lot of drinks. Safe travel, son."

"Father-"

York only left the room, not looking back. Gregor only went over to lay a hand on Mareth's shoulder, but he just shrugged him off.

"I did not…" Perdita looked around then, turning red. Then she found some sort of resolve. A defiant one. Taking a deep breath, she finally said, "Whose business it is then, Mareth, what I do?"

"Whose business? Are you being honest right now?" Mareth glared at her. "He is a child. And you-"

"If he is a child, then you must be fonder of them than I as they are all you bring into your bedchamber!"

Gregor groaned, turning then to press a hand against his head. Why, why, why? Couldn't they ever just have one day? One stupid day?

"Me? I-"

"All you are is with young girls, Mareth. Constantly. And you dare judge me?" She shook her head then, the blush staring to fade, ever so slowly.

One stupid day. That was all Gregor wanted. One day where they all just get through it without any problems. One day.

"You…had intercourse with a soldier, Perdita! Luxa's cousin. Do you not-"

"I do not mind it," Luxa said then, looking back and forth between them as she got to her feet, a wide smile on her face. For all Gregor hated the drama, she fed off it. Gregor wouldn't be shocked if she had prayed for such a moment. "And Kent clearly does not mind it."

Kent, for his part, was just standing mostly in the doorway, wide-eyed. Since York left, he had kept quiet. It was once again true that when Mareth actually got upset, Kent found a way to keep his mouth closed.

"Calvus would mind it," Barrett said softly then, a little knowing smirk on his face. Mareth had unknowingly let a new weapon lose for Barrett to add to his arsenal.

Perdita looked shocked for a moment at the sound of his name before finding her resolve once more. "Where did you-"

"Do not change the subject, Perdita. You are disgusting and you-"

"I am disgusting, Mareth? I am sick? Can you hear yourself?"

"I-"

"Why is it wrong for me to partake in the same things as you?" She stared hard at him. "You do the same things as I, but I am wrong? Because I am a woman? Why is that-"

"Because it just is, Perdita! You are not allowed to…do such things with young soldiers and then-"

"He has said no vows. He has no place in my military as of yet."

"He does in her bed, however."

"Enough, Barrett," Luxa said, though her smile showed that she found him very amusing. Looking to Mareth, she said, "Perdita says the truth. She is allowed to do anything she wishes with her free time. Just because you are jealous, Mareth, does not make it wrong. Women can find just as much enjoyment in this life as men."

That set Mareth and Perdita into another round of fighting, which only tickled Luxa, who watched with fascination. Gregor sent her a glare before mouthing at her to knock it off. Luxa ignored him though, as she usually did. She always thought that everyone else was either around to cause her great disappointment or, in best case scenario, pure entertainment. At the moment, Mareth and Perdita's fight was bringing her more enjoyment than anything had in weeks.

"Stop it," Gregor finally yelled at them, completely done with their act. They were getting on his nerves. He was their king, after all. Right? He was exactly the person that could tell them to shut up. "Both of you. Honestly, Mareth, you do not want Perdita. If you did, you had your chance at it. And Perdita, you were late. I will not have our trip derailed a second more. If you wish to stay here and fight with Mareth, then I'll just leave without you. Is that what you want?"

She was glaring at Mareth then, but still managed out a, "No. I do not."

"Alright then. The medic we are taking with us is already down by the docks. Let us go now, huh?"

Luxa made a face at Gregor then, no doubt annoyed that he had ruined all her fun. Then she seemed to remember that he was leaving then and quickly moved to go around the table and over to him.

"I will not be going to the docks with you," she told him then as she stood there in front off him.

"Why not?" That was the first he had heard of that and it was enough to cause him some hesitance. "Lux?"

"I have very little desire to leave the palace today," she told him then which only made him frown. "What difference then, would it make if I were to see you off there instead of here?"

He glanced over at Perdita and Mareth, but they were no longer looking at one another. She had gone over to the map to stare at it for, oh, the millionth time while Mareth had taken to glaring at Kent. At least that was all resolved…sort of.

"None, I guess," he said slowly as he let out a slow breath. "Then…goodbye."

She only stared hard up at him for a moment before saying, "You trust me completely. Yes?"

That caused him to frown. "Luxa, if this is like that time that you told me that you loved me and then threw me in the dungeon last time, then no, I do not trust you. At all. And I will be very pissed off if-"

"I lock you in the dungeon once and you act as if it is my intent every time I tell you that I care for you."

"Yeah, well, PSTD."

"We should get to the river now," Perdita said after a moment, clicking her tongue slightly as she turned from the map. Gregor had no doubt that she had an extra one on her somewhere. "Late as we are already."

Mareth narrowed his eyes once more at Kent before looking to Perdita. "You are lucky I am even allowing my bond-"

"You do not command Andromeda anymore than you do me," she told him then, shooting him back a just as deadly glare. "And you will do well to remember than. She has chosen to accompany us on this trip. Should she decide now to leave it, it will be on her own fruition, not yours, Mareth."

Luxa commanded Gregor's attention then as she reached out to grab his face in her hands, holding it there for a few moments to make him look at her. When she raised her eyebrows slightly, he nodded.

He'd come back. He had no choice in the matter.

Even though Perdita had overslept (or whatever it was she was doing), most the Underland was still in bed as well. Or at least in Regalia they were. It had been a party the night before, even for those that were not invited to the reception. A ringing in of a new king. And under such ideal circumstances (as far as they knew).

"You chose Nike over Aurora?" Perdita asked Gregor when they finally got down the docks. The only men out there were the ones that had to be, packing the boat for the trip.

"I wanted Luxa to have Aurora with her, since she's so worried," he said, glancing up at the bats overhead. He spotted Andromeda and Nike easily enough. Rhea was missing though. Glancing over at Kent, who had followed along silently behind them, Gregor asked, "You did tell Rhea where to meet us? Right?"

"She is…she is…" He was looking all around in the dim lighting for his father's bond. "Uh…"

"There she is." Gregor finally spotted her flying overhead, headed towards the docks. "Good. I thought-"

"Oh no," Kent groaned when he saw his father's bond had a passenger. His mother. "I did not think she would come."

"She is your mother," Perdita said, hardly glancing over at the woman, which Gregor found odd. Maybe she hadn't slept with Kent. Or at least she did not seem concerned with him. She only walked further down the dock to speak with a few of the men loading the boats.

"Did you not tell her?" Gregor asked, reading his new cousin's face easily. Kent only grimaced. "You didn't tell your mother that you were-"

"I forgot."

"Oh, whatever."

When Rhea dropped from the air to the ground, Gregor saw how upset Susannah was. She clearly knew nothing about the journey and it had been a surprise to her. Gregor did not remember her acting that way over Howard, when he went on the Prophecy of Bane, but he figured that she thought of Howard as more mature than Kent. Mainly because everyone else did.

Or…was Susannah even in Regalia during the Prophecy of Bane? Gregor couldn't remember. He thought that the first time he met her was during the Prophecy of Time. So maybe she did have a heart attack when word got back to her that Howard, who she sent to go visit his grandparents, was off fighting a deadly rat hiding in the Labyrinth. Seemed likely.

"Kent," she said as she got off her husband's bond. Upon Rhea's landing, Nike and Andromeda came down as well, thinking it was finally time to depart. Gregor remembered that the river was too hazardous to be in a boat. They would have to be flown out to the Waterway, with the other bats carrying the boat out there.

Man, if the Prophecy of Bane didn't feel like forever ago. Though, when he really thought of it, a decade or so had passed. He felt old in that moment before he remembered he was only in his twenties. Time just passed so much more slowly in the Underland. Or quickly, really. Just so much happened all at once that it seemed a lot longer than it really was.

"Mother, I-"

"Why did you not tell me?" Susannah, to her credit, was not in tears as usual. She was, however, very ragged looking. Gregor figured she was still sick from whatever was bothering her the passed few days. "I-"

"I thought that Father did. He usually talks about everything," Kent said, easily falling into a lie.

"Your father knew what I would say. Did you not think that I would wish to say goodbye to you?"

"I just thought that it would be easier for you if…" Kent glanced behind him then, over at Perdita. She was ordering around the men still though. "Mother, I would really appreciate it if you did not make me seem like a child. I am with…with…Gregor. And Perdita. And I just-"

"But you-"

"Enough." He took a step back from her then, puffing out his chest. Gregor rolled his eyes before turning his back on them and going to look at Nike.

"Hey," he greeted to which she bowed her head slightly. "You ready for another trip? Already?"

"Luxa made me promise to bring you back and not let you be alone, no matter what."

"Luxa's kinda crazy right now."

Nike made a noise before saying, "She wished for Aurora to go, as she thought that Aurora would follow her directions better. Then I think she recalled that it was Aurora who took you off to the Dead Lands that time to rescue me without any worry of her feelings."

Gregor only shrugged his shoulders slightly. "If I am to die, then there's no stopping it.

"That is one way to live your life, I suppose."

"Did Mareth not come to see Perdita and I off?" Andromeda spoke up then, clearly concerned. "I have not seen him since yester-"

"Mareth is upset with me, Andromeda, if you must know," Perdita called over to her then. "He thinks that it will make you decline the offer to accompany me. If you plan to do so, I would like to know now."

"What is he upset about?"

Perdita only looked back at the men, not answering. Susannah was hugging Kent by that point, who looked like he just wanted to toss her off and never see her again. Gregor knew how mortifying mothers could be.

"Perdita was late this morning," Gregor told Andromeda softly. "Mareth thought she was with a man. He is jealous."

That made Nike cackle, as Gregor figured it would, but Andromeda was only silent. After a moment, she bowed her head.

"I will take you, Perdita," she said softly. Perdita could not hear her, but Gregor figured she already knew the answer anyhow. Gregor sighed slightly before turning to look at Susannah.

"Kent shall be fine, Susannah," he told her then as she let her son go. Not before kissing his cheek though, something that made Kent rub furiously at his cheek. "I will make sure of it. Many young men would kill for this chance. To go off with the King and the head of the army? Without even being officially sworn in yet?"

"I know," Susannah said slowly. "But I worry about you as well, Gregor. You only just got back, yes? And you were just married. I-"

"We will be fine." Gregor reached over to pat Kent on the head, which made the teen scowl at him. "I always come back, Susannah. Always."

"It only takes one time," she said softly before looking off. "I wish York had told me. I would have-"

"York only tries to spare your feelings," Gregor assured her. "You know that. He-"

"Overlander, it is time to go." Perdita was walking back over then, looking very official and back in her business mode. Nodding at Susannah, she said, "Your son shall be fine. But we must leave now. We-"

"Where is our medic then?" Gregor asked, looking around. "I do not-"

"He is here," she said then before nodding over at the men who had just finished loading the boat. When she raised her hand, one stepped forwards, heading over. He was of average height and kept his hair shaved nearly bald. When he got over to them, he bowed before Gregor, something he didn't think he would ever get used to.

"This is Dorian," Perdita said as the man rose. He actually looked slightly older than Gregor, closer to Barrett's age. "He is not only a medic, but also a soldier. He is bonded to Aether."

"It is a pleasure to serve with you, King Gregor," the man said, keeping his eyes and head down. "I hope that I do not disappoint."

"Well, uh, I doubt that you will," Gregor said slowly as Susannah finally took a step back, softly telling Kent that she would miss him and think of him every day. Now that Perdita was so close, Kent wanted nothing to do with his mother which only made Gregor roll his eyes.

"It is good to have you," Gregor told Dorian then, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. When the man touched him, Dorian looked up, as if shocked. Gregor just grinned at him though. "I'm sure you will be more than satisfactory."

Another flier, a tan colored one, dropped down then from above, a rather large male, who immediately greeted Gregor as well.

"This is Aether," Dorian said then, nodding his head slightly.

Gregor only grinned at him as well before looking to Perdita. "We are prepared then?"

"Yes." She turned then, heading over to Andromeda. "If you are prepared then, Kent?"

He looked to his mother before nodding his head and going over to Rhea, who only bowed her head at Susannah. She only sniffled before going to hug the crap out of Gregor. He patted her on the back as she told him that she would be sure that his family got back home okay and that she and York would stay with Luxa while he was gone. As annoying as Susannah was at times, there was probably no one else in Luxa's family that took care of everyone like she did. Other than Vikus and he was gone by that point.

When he went to get on Nike's back, she almost immediately took to the air, clearing wanting to get gone. Nike was always enthusiastic about going places though. Perdita only signaled to the team of fliers above to lift the boat then, as they would have to carry it out to the Waterway.

"Only one boat, Perdita?" he called over to her as Andromeda took to the air as well.

"Aye. I debated two, incase something happened to the first, but then I worried over the travel with two boats. There are only the four of us and the fliers."

Gregor only leaned forwards slightly, seated atop Nike. Softly, to her, he said, "The last time I went out this way, back during the Prophecy of Bane, I saw one of the worst things ever."

"Mareth losing his leg?"

"No. I mean, that was bad, but I see that all the time in battle." He sighed slightly. "It was Howard's bond. I cannot recall her name at the moment. I-"

"Pandora," Rhea called over to them then, her voice almost tight. Tense, maybe. "And I miss her greatly."

Nike was silent for a moment before saying, "Mites it was, yes? Howard mentioned it to me. It is very…very scary to think about."

"Here one minute, gone the next," Gregor mumbled softly before glancing over at Rhea. It never crossed his mind that she might have some sort of connection to Pandora, but when he really thought about it, she was the bond of Howard's father. No doubt the two spent much time together in the Fount. "She was a very nice person. I did not know her long, but she was good."

They were silent the rest of the way, as there was really no way to recover from that sort of thing. Kent still did not seem at ease, however, but Gregor just figured he was still worked over…whatever exactly had occurred between he and Perdita after the reception. Considering how long it took on the boats to get anywhere, Gregor figured that it would all come out at some point.

"You are excited," Nike said softly to Gregor to which he nodded, though there was no way she could see him.

"I am. Of course I am."

She only laughed softly, almost sadly.

It was not until the boat was dropped in the Waterway a few minutes later that anyone else spoke to each other. The boat was not big enough for all the fliers to be in it at once, but it was easy for them to find places to perch themselves upon. Nike dropped Gregor off in it first before going to the bow of the boat and perking upon it, staring off into the darkness before them.

Perdita was dropped by Andromeda and then Kent by Rhea. They both went to the rear of the boat. They were older than the other fliers and more than likely knew of each other better. When Dorian was dropped in the boat, his flier only stayed in it, looking around.

"I had brought medical supplies, of course," Dorian said as he settled into a part of the boat. "I shall keep them here. If any of you are feeling ill, just mention it to me."

Kent made a face at the man before looking to Perdita. She was the only one with a torch in her hand and was staring up at he bats above them, calling out thanks to them for dropping the boat and sending them back on their way to Regalia. When that was finished, she just looked to Gregor.

"There are to be shiners, right?" Gregor asked her to which she nodded slightly.

"Just one. That is what all the food is for," she said before frowning at Kent. "So do not mess with it. Any of you. I shall ration to you what will be yours. And the fliers will catch their own food. I-"

"One shiner?" Gregor asked with a frown. "You only got one?"

"Yes, well, I was told that when there are two, they tend to fight. I did not have time for that. And when the one must rest, I thought that you and your echolocation could help us." She looked off then with a sigh. "It was Mareth that suggested it to be this way."

Kent was inspecting the food then, which was at the rear of the boat in piles. "This is a lot, Perdita. It is all for the shiner?"

"You will understand soon enough," Gregor said before looking around. "So we're going all the way to the Labyrinth?"

"Did you not look over the path?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Currently, I think we have more to worry about," she said as she walked away from him slightly. The boat was not built for solitude though. "There are many dangers in these lands. Even with the shiner, we shall be open for many attacks. It is not a pleasurable place. Or so I have been told many times. You are more of an expert than any of us here, Overlander. You and Andromeda."

Gregor only sighed, going to go sit down with his back against the high sides of the boat. "Then so the journey begins."

That made her nod her head slightly, still staring off into the darkness. "And so it begins."


	19. Chapter 19

The Living Dead

Chapter 19

The shiner's name was Flux. His light was multicolored, just like Photos Glow-Glow.

He was also just as annoying as him.

Perhaps he and Zap combined.

He whined constantly. The cake they fed him was too dry. The chicken was cold. Did he have to travel with a child? And why was the child so loud? What sort of name was Kent anyhow? And why would they ever let an Overlander lead their nation? It made no sense. And a woman as the head of their military? Disgusting. Humans were just completely disgusting.

Perdita was actively ignoring the shiner, though he was bothering everyone else. Only Dorian refrained from letting it show. He would constantly speak to Flux, though that only led to taunts and insinuations. Kent was the most vocal with his hatred of the shiner, though Gregor reprimanded him for it many times. Sure, Flux was annoying, but without him, they were all dead.

Having already planned it out, Perdita immediately put them into rotations for who was on watch and when the time to eat would occur. Kent was most dismayed to find that most of the sweets were meant for the shiner, who only acted upon them with disdain. Still, he knew to follow Perdita's directions and did not argue…much.

Most of the first day Gregor spent talking to Nike. She was quickly brought back to her playful mood and they spoke on many things. She wanted to know how his coronation had gone, as well as the reception. Then she told him of the things she had been doing since they last saw each other, which included a visit to see her mother. Queen Athena was getting up there in her years and had informed Nike that she planed to abdicate the her position before long, leaving it to her. Essentially, they were both suddenly in the same boat, figuratively and literally.

Dorian kept himself busy by organizing and reorganizing his pack of medical supplies. He seemed to be very…obsessive. He mostly just ignored the others except for when Perdita would speak to him. Gregor tried to start a few dialogues with him, but he did not seem interested. Other than his bond, he mostly ignored everyone that first day, which was great. The less contact they all had with one another, the less chance of a problem arising.

During Gregor's watch some odd hours later, they let Flux rest, knowing that Gregor's echolocation could keep them mostly safe. Kent was tired and fell asleep almost immediately. They had been in the boat for about ten or so hours then and he was bored. No one would talk to him really other than the fliers and he was dying of inactivity.

Dorian was sleeping as well then, knowing that his watch was right after Gregor's. The King had a bad feeling, however, that sleep would be hard for him to find and he would be awake for most all the hours on the boat. After how the ship portion of the Prophecy of Bane ended, Gregor was taking no chances.

It was pitch black in the darkness without Flux's help. Gregor just sat with his back against one of the sides, clicking randomly, keeping his eyes shut. Nike and Andromeda were flying around, fishing, but no one else seemed to be up.

Click.

He wondered what Luxa was doing at that moment. Probably thinking about him. Maybe. Or fretting over Barrett…sigh. He hoped not. He hoped that she was fine and just taking care of Zander or something. He knew though that she was probably just as stressed as she always was.

Click.

York probably wasn't helping the situation either. He always tried his hardest to protect his family, but he usually ended up flopping. The drinking was a huge factor in everything York did.

Click.

And with Susannah sick, York was probably drinking even more, which would only annoy his wife more. And then Luxa would become annoyed that they were fighting and would just want them both gone.

Click.

Then there was the whole Stellovet situation.

Click.

That was probably always going to stress her out. Stellovet was a horrible, horrible person to Luxa, just like she was back. There was no love lost between them and it was probably going to stay that way forever.

Click.

And at least his family would get back home. Their visit had actually been pretty good. Except for the whole Lizzie versus Hero showdown, which pretty much sucked. From that point forth, Gregor was going to have to keep his sister away from Matthias. Shouldn't be that hard. Hopefully.

Click.

Maybe Luxa might even find out something about Ripred while he was gone. Get some sort of message from the old gnawer. It would be nice to at least get that off their minds. They had so much going on as it was.

Click.

What was up with Barrett suddenly jumping on his side about Henry anyhow? Could he have really heard those gnawers say something about it? If so, then what did it all mean?

Click.

Or was he just trying to mess with Gregor's head? That seemed just as likely. He knew that Gregor had been worried about the Henry situation for awhile and probably thought he could psych him out some before his wedding.

Click.

Why had he thought that it was a good idea to leave Barrett alone with his-

_Click._

Gregor opened his eyes even though it was useless, though the sound had surprised him. It only took a moment to place it though. Not far from him, sitting with her back against the other wall, was Perdita.

"I do not understand," she told him in the darkness then. "I did what you do and I still cannot see a thing."

That made Gregor smile before shifting slightly. "It takes practice. It is not just clicking. It is-"

"I believe at times that you are merely good at hearing sounds."

"What do you mean?"

"You hear the movements. You are good a predicting the way something in the darkens will go. Echolocation is impossible to learn. Think of all those who have lost their sight; yet they do not pick up your ability. Do they?"

"It was just a lot of practice, Perdita."

"Hn."

"Just because you don't understand it or are not able to do it does not mean that it is not real." He shook his head slightly. "You sound like Solovet."

He knew that would make her happy, though he had no proof of the fact, as it was too dark to tell. Still, being tied to Solovet was always something that she enjoyed.

"You think that we're going to find anything out?" Gregor asked Perdita after a few moments. "Anything you don't already know?"

"I am not sure," she told him softly then. "I mostly just hope that if something is wrong, that we do not run into any true trouble. You are still recovering, my dominate hand is broken. Our hope lies in our fliers, who we are not even bonded to. It is quite the situation."

"We chose it."

"Mostly you."

He made a face. "What did you want, Perdita? The last time you went out with soldiers, you came back with a broken arm. Who else were you going to take? Barrett's out and Luxa's pregnant. Not to mention you and Mareth can't go two minutes without fighting. I was the last one you had."

That got her quiet for a moment or two. The only sound was the Waterway, lapping against the boat. Slowly, Perdita spoke.

"It is odd to think about."

"What is?"

"That this is where Mareth lost his leg. How Mareth lost his leg."

Gregor let out a slow breath. "Yeah, it is."

"He used to tell me about it a lot, when he first lost it," Perdita said softly then. "He was very depressed and all he could talk about was the journey. And Luxa did not come back, nor Aurora, he blamed himself. He was supposed to protect all of you."

"Luxa went on her own. She wasn't supposed to be there."

"What difference did it make then? He was alive and, as far as anyone knew, our queen wasn't. Then when Nerissa deemed that you were right in not killing the Bane, he thought that..."

"Thought what?"

She sighed. "That it was a wasted trip. What was the point of it then? For you to take the Bane to Ripred? Then, not soon after, you had to fight him again in the Prophecy of Time. He still became evil. Just as evil as he would have been otherwise. There was no hope."

Gregor snorted. "What hope is there in anything in the Underland?"

Suddenly, there was light and they both shut their eyes in shock. Flux was awake, his butt lighting up as he made his way over to the some of his pile of food. When they stopped squinting, Gregor and Perdita found themselves sitting across from one another, just staring. Then she looked off.

"Hope is a foolish word anyhow," Perdita told him softly then. "Most words are meaningless."

Rolling his eyes, he looked around them, taking in the dark water on all sides of the boat. Not a moment later, Nike landed next to him, apparently done with fishing for the day.

"It should be another's watch now," Nike told him as she perched above him on the side of the boat. "You are no doubt tired, Gregor. After yesterday."

"I'm fine," he told her as he glanced up. The day before felt like a long time passed. "Sleep is for the weak."

When Andromeda landed on the opposite side of the boat, it shook slightly, but did not flip. Gregor figured that the bats were kind of like birds on a telephone wire, virtually weightless.

"Remember that gnawer that accompanied us, Gregor?" Andromeda spoke up then. "During the Prophecy of Bane?"

"Twitchtip. She died."

Andromeda bowed her head slightly. "It is hard to find someone we knew in that time that is not."

She had a point. Sighing slightly, Gregor stood up, stretching slightly. His muscles were becoming tight.

"Awaken Dorian, Overlander," Perdita said then. "It is his turn."

"Why mess with him or Kent if both you and I are up? Besides, do you really trust them to keep watch?"

"Dorian is your elder, really," Perdita sighed. "And I never planned on giving Kent any sort of responsibility."

"I've never heard of him," Gregor said softly then. "Dorian. Is he-"

"I thought that perhaps if I took him on this trip, perhaps he could replace you or Mareth when we return. That Luxa would see him as worthy. She stressed to me that she wishes for…young generals."

Great. That's all Gregor needed. More guys like Barrett for Luxa to toy with. Perfect.

"She does not wish for anyone older. She says that she does not like the way that Mareth and I…judge her."

Gregor only glanced over at Dorian, who was still curled up in a ball, sleeping, some odd feet away from him.

"He doesn't talk much."

"I think that is what Luxa is looking for."

Gregor only shook his head slightly. "That's exactly what she's looking for."

* * *

><p>Kent had to honestly be one of the most annoying teenagers ever in existence. He complained incessantly. About everything. Dorian ignored him completely and Perdita would randomly tell him to stop talking, but it was most Gregor that had to speak with him. Mainly because he kept starting conversations with him.<p>

"You think that it is idiotic as well, huh, Gregor? Don't you?"

Gregor only sighed. "I guess, Kent. I-"

"Why should I have to constantly have my sister around? It is not fair. Father says-"

"Kent, just chill out some, alright?" Gregor had heard at least a thousand times how annoyed Kent was about Hero hanging off him whenever they were together. Gregor could tell though, even through his tense voice, that Kent missed his twin. He had to have. That was all he had talked about for hours.

So they sat in silence again. Perdita, who was sitting over near Flux, listening to him complain, glanced over at them before shaking her head. Dorian was busy reorganizing his things again which, honestly was beginning to get on Gregor's nerves.

"I am bored," Kent said some time later for the hundredth time.

"Kent," Gregor groaned. "You knew this was how it would be."

"I did not. I thought it would be fun. It sounded fun, riding on a boat, being with you. But it is not."

"You have to figured out mind games to play with yourself."

"Such as?"

"I don't know, Kent. I-"

"What do you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think about? While we are here?"

Gregor was sharpening his sword against a stone Perdita had given him at that moment and had to look up at that. Then, after a moment, he said simply, "I've been thinking about lot about my family."

He made a noise at that. "That is what you are thinking of? All the great things you have done and you are thinking of, what? Your sisters? My cousin?"

"Family is very important, Kent," he told him with a frown. "I know you think that it's embarrassing, but they're all that you've got. Luxa, my sister, Zander, my mother. That's the only reason I do all this. To keep them safe."

Kent snorted. "If I were you, I would use this all to my advantage. All the good things I have done. Everyone would love me. They would-"

"No, Kent," Gregor sighed. "They don't."

"Yes, they would. They-"

"People are very simple. We venerate the people that do good. Then we sit around and wait for them to fail so that we can incinerate them."

The hours were long. Flux was rather inconsiderate and would not keep to Perdita's schedule. They were in darkness a lot. And even though it could have been cured with a simple second shiner, Gregor was glad there was not one. Kent was bad enough. Listening to two shiners arguing would have killed Gregor.

"We hit a whirlpool at one point," Andromeda said randomly. "And serpents. Gregor got some wounds from a horrible, tentacle monster. And those mites…do you think we will pass that island, Perdita?"

She was looking over a map then, a small one that she had take along with them. Glancing up, she said, "No. At least it is not the plan."

Dorian nodded at them. "I am well-versed in water travel. We are on course. That is not to say that we shall not encounter those other things. Water creatures and such."

"I hope we run into some of those," Kent said then, jumping up at the thought. Drawing his blade, he slashed at the air making Gregor frown. "It shall make a great tale."

Rhea laughed in that creepy flier way. "You are your father, Kent. He and I used to volunteer for the most tedious of things, just in the hope that we would run into trouble. It was a most excitable time…of course, then he married Susannah. And she became pregnant. And then we could not do as much…"

Gregor rolled his eyes. "It isn't all about glory, Kent. And you shouldn't wish for something like that. If we were to encounter something before we got to our destination and our vessel capsized, then what?"

"I have planned for this," Perdita assured them all then. "I have mapped out all of the known, safe landing sights for the fliers to head should something happen. I have gone over it with them all. And on my map, I have-"

"Alright, Perdita," Gregor sighed. "We know that you have this planned out. We're not doubting you. I'm just telling Kent that it's not something to be happy about. At all."

He just slashed his sword again. "Right. Okay, Gregor."

"I'm serious, Kent. Have you ever even killed something before?"

That made him pause before shaking his head. "No."

"Then you have no idea what you'll feel about it. Now sit down and behave. God, you're like taking care of a child."

That pissed Kent off, obviously, as the last thing any childish person wants is for another to point that quality out. He headed off to the far side of the boat, over by Aether, who only ignored the teen. Gregor rolled his eyes while Perdita sighed. Dorian was the one that spoke though.

"I have only killed a few," he mentioned then. "Men. The banished. And it was not enjoyable."

"It never should be," Gregor said, though the words sounded hallow coming from him. Fake. Had he not enjoyed Vlad's death? Shaking his head then, he said, "And the point of this trip isn't to kill anything. It's to make sure that all the scouts are okay and have not been compromised. Anything else is out of the question."

"Less we find Henry," Perdita said, almost offhandedly. She had an innocent tone though and Gregor wondered if she was really mocking him or was being literal.

"Or the Reclaimer," he responded evenly. If she had been taunting him, it would almost be like he was back. If not, then he was only furthering the conversation. "Right?"

She nodded at that. So she wasn't mocking. Huh. "Yes. Or whatever other force we shall find here. If Luxa was not so insistent that my scouts are corrupt, I would not even be wasting light on this. Yet she has decided it is so and it is my job to seek them out. Solovet would have never had such a thing happen to her."

"Solovet's dead," Gregor told her then, almost dryly. "You are not. Never forget it."

"Perhaps not," Nike spoke up then. "If Henry can be brought back, why not Solovet? Overlander?"

Rolling his eyes, Gregor said, "If Solovet was not dead, she would have shown up at the palace by now, demanding her job back, part of the Living Dead or not. And there's no way she'd ever be working with the gnawers."

"I would give it to her," Perdita said softly then. "Her job. If she came back."

"And there in lies the problem," Gregor mumbled. "You know, Solovet wasn't that great of a person. She did kind of end up poisoning the entire Underland."

"She did not know about-"

"She most certainly ordered that, Perdita, and you know it."

She sat there for a moment before shaking her head. "Even if she did order it to be made, it was not her intentions to spread it in such a way. That woman, Dr. Neveeve, is the one that-"

"You can not be serious."

"She is the one that made the mistake. Solovet only wished to protect us. In case the gnawers got too powerful. It was merely a precaution. It-"

"Neveeve was a scared, frail woman. Solovet used her and then threw her to the wolves when-"

"Enough, Overlander. I am tired of you all saying these things. You constantly say horrid things about Solovet that you all know you were too cowardly to say while she lived."

"Yeah, Perdita, 'cause she would have killed us all for it!"

He was getting under her skin at that point, he could tell, but he didn't care. He was tired of all the Solovet love. She was a horrible woman. Just because someone does some good, it does not exonerate them from the evil they do. And Solovet was evil. Very, very evil.

"You say these things, but you know as well as I that she is the only salvation that Regalia had, time and time again. She-"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes!"

"Was she salvation to Luxa? She screwed her up. Badly. And none of her other grandchildren even like her-"

"That is a lie. Kent told me-"

"Kent will tell you anything to have sex with you!"

"Hey!" Kent called from where he was sitting while Dorian only stood and walked away from them slightly.

"I have had enough of you, Overlander," Perdita said, blushing deeply then. Flux had even stopped his complaining to listen, interested in someone else's arguing. "I do not care if you are my king now or not. You are not going to-"

"What about the fact that none of her own kids like her, Perdita?" Gregor was trying to separate himself from his last comment. It had been out of line, he would admit that, and also derailed the conversation to something he wanted to know absolutely _nothing_ about. Seriously. Nothing. Ever. "She ostracized them all. Hamnet would not even return home after the last thing she did to him. She-"

"Hamnet made his own choices. Solovet merely-"

"Solovet was the one that told him to break the dyke if anything happened. She was the one that sent him out to take back a _gift_, Perdita. It was her fault. All her fault. She was bloodthirsty and-"

"Stop it! You have no idea what you are-"

"What I'm talking about? Seriously? Ripred told me all about it. He-"

"A gnawer? You believe a gnawer?" She snorted, looking off. "Then you are the foolish one. Solovet-"

"You're going to just glance over the fact that she made her son kill innocent-"

"Gnawers? There is no innocent gnawer. They-"

"People too, Perdita! It's her fault that Hamnet killed all those people. That fliers and humans died. That that place is now underwater. Not Hamnet's. Hers. And she knew it. You know it as well."

"I-"

"Her fault. No one else's."

Perdita got up then and walked away from him as well, going over to where Kent was sitting. That was more because the other options were Dorian or Flux. Andromeda flew off as well, though she only went to land near Perdita and Kent, saying nothing to him.

Great. So Gregor was the bad guy again. Awesome. And just for telling the truth. Amazing. What else was new?

No one ever wanted to hear the truth. Ever. They always wanted to live in fake, little worlds where only good things about them and their loved ones were mentioned. Well, not everyone was a good person. And Gregor never made it a habit of speaking ill of the dead, but sometimes it just couldn't be helped.

Solovet was not someone to revere. She was not even someone he liked to think about. Ever. And he hoped he never had to again any time soon.

* * *

><p>Gregor was laying on his belly, dosed in blue light from Flux's butt, trying to fall asleep. It was proving difficult, like he knew it would, as he couldn't quit worrying. The Waterway was a dangerous place. Especially where they were. Perdita could plan as much as she wished, but it would never save them from all the troubles they might encounter on the waters.<p>

No one was talking much. Even Nike was keeping to herself. She did try and get Aether to speak with her a few times, no doubt wanting to get to know him. He kept to himself as much as his bond though and only acted humbled to be able to accompany his future queen on a journey.

Kent, Perdita, and even Andromeda kept their distance from Gregor then. Only Rhea and Nike spoke to him, and really, only Nike. Rhea was just like York and needed everyone to like her. She was only trying to keep Gregor from being upset with her too.

No, not too. Because he wasn't upset with Perdita. Not really. Maybe a little at Kent for being so annoying, but not even really him. And definitely not Andromeda. They were just the ones that were miffed at him. Over nothing. So what? A dead woman wasn't his idol. They could get over it.

So, as he laid there, to lull himself to sleep he thought some on the prophecies that might or not be befalling them at that moment. One line in particular stuck with him.

_Lies form greed leading to duplicity_

_It is only once it is over that we can see_

Greed could be talking about anyone, really, about anything. And duplicity? He wasn't even one hundred percent certain what that meant. Greed though was probably the driving factor of everyone in the Underland.

Still, it was kind of catchy. And the way Nerissa said it was almost sing-songy.

Nerissa. He hadn't even told Nerissa goodbye. Or even seen her on his wedding day. It would have been too much for her to be at his coronation or anything like that, so she hadn't come.

Sigh. He'd have to spend some time with her when he got back, he figured. He was just busy constantly all the time. It was hard to remember to spend time with her.

But had that not been their mistake with Vikus?

The Reclaimer prophecy was too hard for Gregor to remember then, as he drifted off. The only reason Nerissa's one did was because it had that repeating line.

Duplicity.

Duplicity.

He missed Luxa. Missions weren't the same without her. It was how they got together, anyhow, going out on quests together and such. And now that he was the King and she was the Queen, they could more or less kiss that part of their lives goodbye. There was no way they could both be away from Regalia for very long.

Not to mention the fact that they had kids. Zander had never interfered with anything, but that was more or less because nothing had come up in the past few months. Still, with him in the mix, they had no chance of doing anything that involved leaving him behind. And when the new baby came, it would be even worse.

"Reminds me of the first trip."

Gregor didn't open his eyes as Andromeda landed on the side of the boat near him. "What do you mean?"

"Open your eyes, Overlander. There is an island."

That made him sit up slightly. "What?"

"Calm yourself, then, I said I had this entire thing planned in full, did I not?" Perdita wasn't looking at him, only sitting next to Kent while staring down at her map. "We have explored this tiny island before. It is nothing more than a small land mass. Nothing much lives there at all."

"It is too bad," Dorian remarked. "It would have been nice to hunt something. The shiner is eating all of our food, after all."

"All of your food?" Flux raved. "I was promised-"

"Yeah, yeah, and you're getting what you were promised, so shut up." Gregor shut his eyes again. "All of you just shut up. No one's going to the stupid island and we're going to just pass by it."

"I am so glad that you are able to help us through this time, Overlander."

"King. I am your king now, Perdita. Do not forget it."

She must still have been mad at him. Oh well. Life would go on. He knew the second she ran into any trouble, it would be him that she fell back on and everything would be fixed. Not to mention, by the time they got to Regalia, she'd be so focused on the problems between her and Mareth that Gregor would fade into oblivion in her mind.

He fell asleep after that for some time. When he awoke, he was on his back, staring up at darkness above him. Flux was casting a red light at that point and it wasn't really helping see anything at all.

Pushing into a sitting position, Gregor looked around, his eyes falling first to Kent, who was hanging over the side of the boat, vomiting, then to Dorian who was caring for him. Perdita was nowhere to be found.

"What's going on?" Gregor asked, glancing at the bats. Andromeda was missing. "Guys?"

"Kent is seasick," Dorian explained as he crouched over next to the teen, patting him on the back while he was at it. "Which is quite funny. I would think that all from the Fount were good at boating and such, but apparently not. He-"

"With Perdita," Gregor clarified. "What is going on with Perdita? Where is she?"

"Oh." Dorian looked up at that. "Andromeda took her inland. We passed another part of land that she claimed there was a scout in. We have not gone far from where-"

"What?" Gregor groaned, jumping up then. "Why did no one wake me?"

"With the way that you snore? I tried, but they would not let me," Flux commented as Kent slowly backed away from the side of the boat, falling down on his butt with a groan.

"I want to go home."

Ignoring him, Gregor looked to Nike. "You should have woken me. The whole point of me going on this trip was to protect her."

"The point of you going on this trip was to escape your responsibilities," Rhea corrected. "But that is beside the point."

"I thought to wake you, but Perdita insisted that you must sleep. That this stop was not the reason that you have come. That either of us have come," Nike told him.

"Perdita is our commanding officer," Dorian explained as he went over to his bag, digging through it before revealing some sort of a bottle. Handing it off to Kent, he had him take a sip before saying, "She is the top general of the military. The head of the military. If she tells us not to do something, we do not do it."

Kent only moaned, curling up into a ball then. "This was a horrible trip."

"And now you remind me of your mother," Rhea remarked with disdain. "What would your father say, Kent, if he-"

"My father is a drunk and is probably just as miserable on outings because he cannot drink. You will not convince me otherwise."

"Do you know where Perdita headed off to?" Gregor asked Nike. "Do you think-"

"They left some time ago, with instructions to come after her if she did not return within two hours. I think that if you and I went after them, it would only lead to something bad happening." Nike shook her head. "I promised Luxa that-"

"Ugh." Gregor looked around then before his eyes fell on Aether. "Do you know which way they went?"

The male flier paused before saying slowly, "If my princess says that we are not to leave the boat, then we are not to-"

"Great. Just great." Gregor let out a loud huff then. "Why did we not go inland then, and moor the boat or whatever? I mean-"

"This is how Perdita planned it," Nike told him. "I thought that you went over the plans with her?"

"Well…" He had listened when Luxa explained the path, but the actual planning had kinda been something he just tuned out on. It wasn't on purpose. It just bored him. To tears. "I just think this was a bad plan from the start."

"You signed off on it," Rhea reasoned. "You are the King and decided to go along with it. Do not get upset now."

At that moment, he was finally, _finally_, annoyed with them all and went to go sit back down and stew. He had been nice, coming on the stupid adventure, and now he was getting treated like crap.

"Rest now then, Kent," Dorian was telling the younger man softly. "You shall feel better soon enough. We are too far back for your bond to take you back to the capital."

"Father's bond."

Dorian ignored that. "By the time General Perdita gets back, you shall be better. Just take deep breaths, slow breaths."

Groaning, Gregor looked over at the boy. "Are you just seasick or are you truly ill, Kent?"

"I do not know," he grumbled. "I just feel horrible."

"Well, I know it sucks, but you're going to have to man up for a while, buddy," Gregor told him with a shake of his head. "Sometimes life is just that way. You wanted to be a solider and play hero; now you're going to have to."

It felt like forever and a day, the seconds passing slower and slower as they went along. Dorian tended to the boat as well as Kent while Flux spent his time stuffing his face and complaining that some of the food was starting to go bad.

Hell. Gregor was in Hell.

At least it explained the red light.

Needless to say, when Perdita and Andromeda showed up, Gregor had more than a few words for them. Unfortunately, neither seemed to concerned with him.

"What were you thinking? I mean, seriously? I should have gone with you. I get that you're mad at me because I said that stuff about stupid Solovet, but-"

Perdita did not even look at him as she landed in the boat. She only went to stand behind Dorian, who was bent over Kent, checking him for a fever.

"What is this then?"

"Nothing contagious, I hope," Andromeda murmured as settled on the side of the vessel. "Else we will have to throw him overboard."

"What?"

"She is make a joke, merely," Dorian assured the teen. "And no, it is not contagious. He is only seasick, it appears."

"Seasick?" Perdita snorted. "That is not something that he should fear. We have no sea. That is an Overland thing."

"Yes, well, he is Waterway sick. Do you prefer that better?" When Dorian glanced up at her, he bit his tongue. Then he bowed his head. "Forgive me. I am merely-"

"At ease." Perdita sighed then before walking away from Kent. "I should have expected nothing less than for him to get sick. It is never advisable to travel with a child."

"I am not a child," Kent growled, though he did not move from his hunched over spot on the ground. "I am an adult."

"Are we just going to ignore, then, the fact that you took off?" Gregor asked then. He wanted Kent to feel better, fine, but he did not find it as the most important topic of the moment. "You-"

"There is nothing to discuss, Overlander," Perdita told him as she went over to the pile of food. Flux was making his way through it quite nicely. He was suspicious of her as she took some rolls out before going to distribute them among the other passengers. Gregor only glared as she gave him his, but she moved right along to Kent and Dorian.

"There is much to discuss, Perdita. You have a broken arm. You have no business-"

"And I was atop a flier. There was no way that-"

"Do you not get how that was dangerous? I mean, God, you're getting angry with me when I am only trying to protect-"

"There is nothing to protect! I am the head of the military. I can protect myself. I am tired of you and Mareth trying to control my life. I am not a child. In fact, not a week ago I was in control of _your_ life, so perhaps-"

"There is nothing worse than humans fighting," Flux remarked to no one, flashing a bright white light then. Kent squinted his eyes before just shutting them and rolling over to face the wall of the boat nearest to him. "Such a vicious species."

"You're serious," Gregor said slowly, turning his glare onto the shiner. "Aren't you? You seriously think that-"

"Do not fight with our friend, Overlander," Perdita told him then. Though her tone was still pinched, she was speaking softer. Clearly she was wanting to placate the shiner.

"Such a rude man to be a king," Flux remarked with a shake of his head. "There is no consideration these days, to who one puts into power. No consideration at all. Just because you choose them as a mate does not mean they should be able to control an entire city. Disgusting practices. All humans have are disgusting practices."

"You know what? I-"

"Gregor." Nike was speaking softly, gently to him then. Almost unheard. Like a conscious or something. He was breathing heavily, ready to rip the stupid shiner to threads. He felt... full of rage. Bloodlust, maybe. It had been months, after all. "Take a breath. It is not that important. None of it is. Perdita got back alright and the next stop, we shall accompany her. I promise."

Then, just like that, everything went black. Everyone panicked for half a moment before Flux spoke.

"Welp," he announced loudly through the darkness. "It is time for my nap."

"But the schedule-" Perdita tried to argue, though Flux just ignored her.

"Be safe in the darkness, children, until I decide to share my light once more," he told them all, almost in a dark manner. "I know I shall be."

If there was anything worse than being stuck on a boat with a shiner, it was relying on one.


	20. Chapter 20

The Living Dead

Chapter 20

"Are you asleep?"

Gregor opened his eyes quickly to find Perdita standing over him, her own eyes staring down at him. "What's wrong?"

"There is nothing wrong," she said, taking a step back then. "Andromeda and I are going inland. Since you made such a fuss the time before, I thought it best to awaken you and ask if you wished to accompany us. If so, put your crown on."

"My crown?" he asked groggily.

"Yes. You must wear it in front of the scouts. You are a king now, after all."

Flux was casting a blue light again, which was giving Gregor a headache. The further he was able to get away from the boat, the better.

"You can watch the boat while we are gone then, Dorian?" Gregor asked as he got to his feet. The man was seated near the bow of the boat, once again organizing his bag. Ugh.

"Of course," he said, glancing up. "Kent, I, and the fliers shall be fine. If anything were to happen, we would fight to the death. Eh, Kent?"

He only grunted from where he was huddled up in a ball, clutching his stomach. Rolling his eyes, Gregor walked over to them and spoke in a hushed tone, as not to be overheard.

"Look, don't let Flux bully you guys into anything, alright?" Gregor told them softly. "Shiner's aren't too smart, but they will trick you if you let them. Just keep your wits about you until we get back, huh?"

Perdita was unconcerned with any of them though as Andromeda landed into the boat. Climbing onto her back, she quickly pulled out her map, checking it once more while they still had the light of Flux's butt before consulting Andromeda. Then she pocketed her precious map and Andromeda took to the air. Rushing then, Gregor waited for Nike to land in the belly of the boat before clambering on.

"You know where we are headed in the darkness?" Gregor called to Perdita as Nike headed after Andromeda. "Perdita?"

"Andromeda knows. I have shown her the map." Perdita did not look back at him. She was probably still upset with him. Sigh. "And it is not an exact location, Overlander. We must seek the scout out. Something that is much simpler to do when there is only the pair of us, Andromeda and myself. But if you two wish to accompany-"

"What would you do, Perdita, if you ran into some sort of trouble?" Gregor asked. "Trouble that Andromeda could not outrun? Then what?"

"I would fight or I would die," she told him then without emotion.

"With a broken arm? You might as well just die."

"What do you want me to say, Overlander? Every time we speak, you find something to scold me on. As if you were somehow better than me. I am not only your elder, but also uninterested in any opinions you might have. So if you would kindly leave them to yourself so we can finish this mission, all would be better."

Seething now, Gregor held his tongue as he leaned forwards on Nike's back, clicking slightly. Andromeda was flying faster, getting further away from them. Good. It would give Gregor a chance to vent.

"Look, I get that she's, like, in love with Solovet or whatever," Gregor grumbled to Nike. "But if she keeps this up, I'm going to go off on her. I mean, seriously? The whole reason I came was to keep her safe and now she's acting like…well, Luxa, really. And I only let Luxa get away with it because I, you know, love her. I certainly have no reason to let Perdita slide. Especially about stupid Solovet."

Nike paused for a moment, as if thinking, before slowly saying, "I thought so as well, so I spoke with Andromeda before, after you first fought. Perdita is not upset solely about Solovet."

"Then what else did I do?"

"It was her…well, apparently she did not take kindly to you insinuating that it was Solovet's fault that Hamnet broke that dyke."

"So it is about Solovet."

"Not exactly." Nike hesitated before saying, "I do not know the woman well, you know."

"Of course not."

"But apparently she once had a…partner and he was killed in the Garden of Hesperides. That would mean, if she followed your line of thinking, that her mentor essentially killed the man which-"

"That's not even what I was talking about! I wasn't thinking about-"

"People are very peculiar about death, Gregor. If Perdita was to imply that it was Luxa that led to the death of Ares, you would not be too pleased, would you?"

"I… No."

"Then you understand, yes, what the problem is?"

"I guess so," he said slowly. "So, you think I should apologize?"

"If you think that you did wrong. Do you?"

"Not really."

"Then do not. This trip shall be over before we know it and then we can all go back to life as usual." Nike was silent for a moment before saying, "And when we return, hopefully it is with proof that there is no Reclaimer, no one is back from the dead, and that we can all just be happy."

"When have we ever all just been happy, Nike?"

"It is not an impossible thing, is it? Happiness?"

"Achieved by everyone in our life all at once? Yes. Yes it is impossible."

"Well, perhaps we can knock a few off the list and just allow the rest of us to be happy."

"Who would we knock off?"

"Your wife, for obvious reasons."

"Yeah, she's pretty much impossible."

"And Aurora is rather dark as well."

"Meh."

"And Howard-"

"Maybe we just shouldn't try and please others at all," Gregor suggested then with a sigh. "And just stick to pleasing ourselves."

"Why, Gregor," she remarked with a slight sigh. "I thought that was why we were on this journey in the first place?"

Gregor took to clicking about that time, not exactly liking having to rely on Nike and Andromeda for safety. Not that he didn't trust them, but there was no one that he trusted more than himself. Just how life was intended.

"Andromeda tells me that we are nearing where Perdita thinks the scout may be," Nike said randomly at one point. "Then starts the searching."

Click.

"I'll be on the lookout," Gregor assured Nike who no doubt delivered the information back to Andromeda in their native tongue.

Click.

Gregor thought that things would be better if he and Perdita just walked along on the ground and investigated, but knew that it was out of the line and there was no way that Perdita or Nike would allow him to do that.

Click.

He knew though that he had promised Luxa that he wouldn't do anything too dangerous. The only problem was that he thought that that was the only way to get anything done. Danger was just a part of the job description.

Click.

And if Henry was running around, wouldn't it be best if Gregor went ahead and nipped that in the bud before anything too bad happened?

Click.

Still, the question was burned in his mind; how was Henry still alive? He knew that he had fallen to his death, back during the Prophecy of Gray without a doubt. So did that mean that the Prophecy of the Living Dead was implying, like, necromancy or something?

Click.

Or was it a zombie thing? Like a virus that brough things back from the dead?

Click.

Because each sounded just as bad as the other. Although necromancy would imply a necromancer and Gregor just didn't feel like dealing with that.

Click.

Still, the whole zombie thing sounded kinda of bad. And kind of impossible. Henry's body should have no doubt decomposed by that point and that person Gregor saw was far from decomposed.

Click.

Not to mention, Gregor was willing to bend his mind a little bit when it came to the things in the Underland, but things coming back to life? He cut the line there. He truly did.

Click.

But then, who had Gregor seen? He knew he had seen Henry. The only person possible for him to have seen was Henry. He was more raggedy, he had a disgusting looking beard, but he was definitely Henry. He was without a doubt Henry. That was the only person he possibly could be.

Click.

Not to mention, he had already fought with Luxa about it being Henry. So he was going to have to pretend that he believed it was wholeheartedly until proven completely wrong. It was the way things worked in their relationship. Make bold statements, refuse to retract them when you get all the facts, and then the other brags about it when they turn out right.

Click.

Yep.

Click.

"It is truly horrible in these parts of the Underland," Nike told him softly then as they flew along in the darkness. Gregor knew she couldn't stay silent for long. "The smells, the creatures."

"Creatures, Nike? Really?"

"What would you call gnawers, other than creatures?"

"To most humans, you would be a creature."

"And to us, you are all killers."

"Good point. I concede."

Nike made a noise. "You give in too easily, Overlander."

"I know." Then he frowned. "I mean, no I don't."

"Witty."

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

"So do you know any scouts?" Nike asked him eventually. Gregor clicked one more time before nodding his head in the darkness.

"A few. Not many. Most people are designated to be scouts young. That's what they train for in the military. I know mostly guardsmen and soldiers. Any scouts I know are from these past few months when Perdita was calling them back for disciplinary action, if she thought that they were actually traitors. Other than that, I have little contact with them. They're Perdita's project. Solely. Even Luxa doesn't have much involvement in it."

"Then Perdita must tell us her secret then, eh?"

Click.

"Do you smell anything?" Gregor asked randomly then.

"Over the rot and decay? Not particularly. Why?"

"I just figured you might be able to sniff out a rat or something," Gregor said with a sigh. "Something."

"If there is anything around, Gregor, I am sure that it would be impossible for it to get passed you, Andromeda, and I."

"I just think that it'd suck to get caught up with some rats here when the real important stuff is way farther off."

"In the Labyrinth? That seems more of a death wish than anything else. I do not know what sort of scout would even agree to go there."

"Not many. As far as I know, it's one of Perdita's top guys."

"Well, so were Helix and Namus, yes? And we all saw how that turned out."

She did have a point there…

"I dunno. I feel like Luxa is just giving Perdita a hard time with this one," Gregor said with a shake of his head. "She always thinks that the scouts are lying. She doesn't trust anyone. Unless the information's in her favor, then she believes them wholeheartedly."

"Barrett was attacked, Gregor. Someone clearly caused that."

"I dunno though. I mean, what if he, like, planned something with the gnawers? And then it backfired on him? What if-"

"Gregor, as much as you hate it, Barrett does care for Luxa. He would never do anything jeopardize the slight relationship they have now."

She had a point there. "Yeah, but-"

"He knows that Luxa is from Solovet. She might tolerate the gnawers a little more, but she does not care for them. Only peace. If she found out that Barrett was even speaking to a gnawer behind her back, he would be cut from her life, if not her military. Luxa is the only thing that he seems to ever be able to talk about. You really think he would risk that?"

Gregor only sighed. "I don't know, okay? It just seems unlikely that Barrett and his men were able to defeat those gnawers."

"Why? Their carcasses were found outside the gates, just where Barrett and the others said that they would be. After Barrett was knocked unconscious, the last man standing finished off the final gnawers. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"You're really pro-Barrett today," Gregor grumbled, but Nike only sighed.

"I am feeling rather agitated today, I suppose, Gregor. I am sorry."

"It's okay," he told her with a shake of his head. "I think this boat trip has us all on edge. And over what? This is just going to be a simple mission and we're going to go home after."

"I suppose it is the tension between us all that is causing problems."

"What tension? Yeah, Perdita and Kent probably, err, might have hooked up. And yeah, so I sort of said some bad stuff that reminded her of her dead fiancé. But compared to some of our misadventures, I'd say this is going pretty well."

"Considering during one mission we all got trapped in a cave in and then were forced to watch the gassing of a high number of nibblers and their pups, I find it hard to disagree."

Nike was closing in on Andromeda then, who was slowing down somewhat. Gregor figured it best to end their conversation there, instead going back to clicking.

They flew around for at least twenty minutes. The only time that anyone spoke was when Perdita asked Andromeda something. Not that Gregor thought they couldn't talk or anything, as anything in the Dead Lands would be able to smell and Overlander, Underlander, and two fliers miles off, but rather he thought it would look good to Perdita if he didn't make a joke out of the whole thing. She was clearly upset about him for the remark about the Garden of Hesperides and, even though he wasn't completely certain what he had done, he knew that in the end, he would apologize. Just because he was that kind of a guy.

Besides, he had kinda been wit Luxa for many, many years. He knew by that point that when a woman was mad at you, it didn't matter if she was just being irrational. You were wrong, so apologize. Either that or spend the rest of your days miserable and hated.

It really wasn't that hard to say sorry when you realized just how dim the other options proved to be.

Then there was light. A very, very slight light, off very far in the distance. The closer they got though, the brighter it seemed, though any light in pitch black darkness would appear extremely incandescent.

Perdita laughed slightly at the sight of it, shaking her head. "It is Maro. It has to be."

"Maro?" Nike questioned.

"My scout. Just where I wished for him to be." She was clearly in better spirits at the thought. "This is turning out to be a most successful trip. Luxa was wrong, once again, and my scouts are not to blame. Yet are we going to investigate her precious Barrett? I find it doubtful."

Oh God. Gregor was totally on Perdita's side. What was the world coming to?

They found the man, Maro, roasting fish over a fire in the opening of a tunnel. He seemed rather shocked to see Perdita, but only went to work preparing another fish for her to eat.

"When Hera said that she saw humans coming, I thought it was a scout to relieve me. I did not even have her speak to your fliers here," the man said as he began scaling a fish for his leader. "Tell me that you are not coming to me with bad news?"

"Not completely, no," Perdita told him, watching as the slight man moved around his fire. "But we will get to my reasoning soon enough. First I would like to ask you a few things."

"Of course." He glanced at Gregor then. The fliers had never truly landed and had flown off with another flier that was flouting around, no doubt Maro's bond. Hera, Gregor believed was her name. At least that's what the man said. Andromeda seemed the most pleased to see the yellow tinted flier and no doubt knew her somehow.

"You bring the warrior though, so I only assumed that it was something bad," Maro said. "I-"

"I forgot. You have been out here for a number of months." Perdita glanced at Gregor before back at Maro. "You must now address him by his proper title."

"Title?"

"In the most recent weeks, the Queen and the Overlander have not only become betrothed, but also wedded. You are now speaking to your king and should show him-"

He dropped the fish before rushing over to Gregor, though he immediately fell to his knees before him.

"I-I apologize, y-your grace. I had no idea that-"

"Rise," Gregor said with a frown. "It's fine. I'm not into all that, alright? Just call me Gregor. Or the warrior or whatever. Believe me, I like that a lot better."

"S-Sorry. I only-"

"Maro, I am not here to just introduce the King to you," Perdita sighed, slowly crossing her arms over her chest. "I said that there were a few things that needed to be discussed, yes?"

"R-Right." Maro stood to attention once more. "I shall have Hera catch more fish if-"

"Enough."

He nodded, keeping his mouth shut.

"Now," Perdita began slowly. "I would like to know first what business you have making a fire out in the open like this?"

Maro dropped his head, staring at the ground. "This area is deserted, just as I sent you in the messages. There are no gnawers to be found. I have searched for at least a hundred miles in each direction. I see random other animals occasionally, but gnawers have vacated. Forgive my lax behavior. It was not my intention, but I have grown lazy in precautions."

"The reason I have stopped in on you is because recently General Barrett was ambushed by a group of gnawers, yet none of my scouts were able to send me any word of such a movement. I am attempting to find the scout that let this lasp. Either that or find a scout that has sold himself to the gnawers."

"That is certainly not me," he assured her. "What would it take to prove to you? I-"

"Enough." Perdita sighed then. "Have you become relaxed with any other protocol?"

"No. Of course not. I only thought it fine to start a fire here because there is no one but Hera and I. Forgive me. From this point forth, I will never-"

"I have many others to attend to. As long as you know your duty and realize that at any time, I can come and check up on you, then all is done here."

"I thank you for your time, General. And King Greg-" He stopped himself. "Warrior. Thank you, warrior."

Perdita was clearly pleased with herself as they left the scout to his work. He even gave them a torch so they did not have to go back in darkness. Not that Gregor was all that thrilled. He far preferred darkness to light in most situations.

"Yet another proved correct," Perdita announced happily from atop Andromeda. Clearly they were out of their sour states.

"There are still many more to do, but I am certain they will all be the same," Andromeda agreed. "You do spend much time picking scouts. The chance of you being wrong-"

"I was before. With the banished. Vlad and the others were able to turn a few," Perdita said softly then. "But a gnawer turning my men? It is highly unlikely."

"If not impossible. No man would ever truly believe that once all was said and done that if the gnawers won, they would keep him alive."

"There was one," Gregor mumbled softly from behind them as Nike tailed Andromeda. "And he was planning to align himself with the most powerful gnawer of all. So it is not too out there, no, to think that someone else would do the same?"

Perdita did not even look back at him. "Yes, well, we will get to that when we get to it, yes?"

"Guess we will."

* * *

><p>Kent was in better spirits when they arrived back at the boat. He hadn't puked once since they had left and had a little color back. Gregor just hoped that they didn't hit any rough waters.<p>

It was technically Perdita's watch when they got back, but Dorian offered to switch slots with her so she could rest some. She declined, of course, though in the end it did not matter. Flux decided not to give off any light, instead taking to sleeping himself, which pretty much left Gregor to be the one on duty.

Click. Click. Click.

He was having a hard time remembering what day it was. It had been a few days, at least. Maybe. Whatever it had been, he just hoped that Luxa was okay at home. And Zander. And that his family got home. That was a big one too.

Click. Click. Click.

As much as he had wanted to leave, at the moment all he was wanting was to be back. He wanted to lay in bed with Luxa and eat dinner with Zander and hangout with Hazard. Maybe even talk to Nerissa. Or spend some time with Mareth. Drinking with York sounded cool.

He just wanted to go home.

Click. Click. Click.

Either that or he wanted to start killing things. And quickly. After what Barrett had gone through, he honestly thought that there was no chance that they wouldn't run into danger. As it was turning out though, they were completely safe.

Click. Click. Click.

Which wasn't a bad thing, of course. He didn't want the fliers or Perdita hurt. And though he wasn't certain about Dorian's abilities, he did know that there was no way he wanted Kent trying to protect anyone. If anything, Gregor had a bad feeling that he would be the one having to keep Kent out of harms way.

Click. Click. Click.

Still, his mind kept drifting to thoughts of Luxa. She was probably even more annoying now that he was gone. She had the a habit of worrying about him, after all. And with York around, she was no doubt on edge.

Click. Click. Click.

He heard someone moving around in the boat, but it was just Kent. He had to take a piss, peeing off one of the low sides of the boat. Rolling his eyes, Gregor figured he should just be glad that he wasn't puking anymore.

Click. Click. Click.

Movement again. Kent had already laid down, curling up again to sleep. He was already snoring, really. Who else could be moving?

Perdita. Gregor could make out her shape then, staring at her. She was moving to get up before heading over to the piles of food. All the perishable things had already been eaten by the shiner, but they still had some fish that the fliers had caught for them, as well as bread and some pastries. Those would soon be gone though.

He heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed or perhaps her dagger, more than likely using it to cut into one of the loaves of bread. Not a moment later she was settled once more against the side of the boat, eating.

Gregor tried a few times to speak to her, to apologize, but it kept sounding trite in his head. And if something didn't even sound right in your head, then it was never going to sound good.

The problem was that, yeah he felt really badly that he had made any insinuations about her dead fiancé that hurt her feelings, but he did not feel badly about the Solovet stuff. She wasn't a good person. She just wasn't.

But still, he knew better than to give a half apology. His mother taught him a long time ago that saying that you're sorry and yet adding a but on it didn't count. It just didn't.

"Why have you ceased clicking?"

Gregor frowned at the sound of the woman's voice. "Huh?"

"Why have you quit clicking?" Perdita repeated. "You are supposed to be keeping watch, Overlander."

"Oh. Right. I was just…distracted, I guess." He sighed then before deciding to just go for it. "Perdita, I shouldn't have said anything about the Garden of Hesperides or whatever. It was wrong of me. I didn't know…err, well, York mentioned it before the start of our trip that your…fiancé died during it. And I'm sorry that we were talking about you behind your back too. It wasn't any of our-"

"Overlander?"

"What?"

"Stop talking."

"I-"

"Wasting time on emotions is silly as well as a waste. What happened in the garden that day is usually far from my mind. And I would rather keep it that way."

"Right. Of course." He was really bad at talking to women. It stemmed from only having to ever really talk to Luxa. She usually kept other women far away from him. Especially women their age. "I was only, uh, trying to-"

"Do not. What is said has been said. It is all over now."

So they sat there for awhile in silence, save Gregor's clicking. He was pretty sure that all meant that they had made up, but he wasn't completely certain. Eventually, Perdita spoke again.

"What did…York say?" she finally asked. "About me? To you and Barrett?"

"I thought you said that the past-"

"What did he tell you? I need to know what he told Barrett, mainly, because-"

"Nothing, really," Gregor said, feeling awkward then before clicking his tongue softly. "Just, uh, you know. That you were going to be married or whatever and that he thought that he could best the man in a fight because he was a better all-around fighter or something."

She snorted. "That is what he told you?"

"That is what he told us."

Sighing then, she said, "Barrett will never let this go now. He will-"

"Luxa was thinking about, you know, sending some people to scout out the land in the village that the banished had. See if we could take that as our own." Gregor clicked again. "And we were thinking about, you know, maybe sending Mareth out there."

That got her to pause before slowly saying, "Were you?"

"Yeah. But I think Barrett should go. Either that or Mareth would need someone to go with him that was still, you know, able to get around well and stuff."

"Meaning?"

"…What if we sent part of the army with you to the Uncharted Lands to excavate the town with Mareth? Kinda like when you guys were going to the Fount, but better, you know?"

"I do not-"

"And I know that your mother would be part of the reason you wouldn't want to go, but Luxa and I would find someone to take care of her. It-"

"I do not wish for special treatment, Overlander. I-"

"Yeah, well, sometimes friends in power help their friends out. And considering you put up with Luxa constantly, you could just consider it hush money."

"…I do not think that Mareth would want me to go with him anyhow, considering."

Gregor blinked. Then he sighed. "You didn't really…sleep with Kent, did you?"

She didn't even think about it. "Of course not. He's a…child."

"Then why-"

"Mareth constantly flaunts girls the same age as Kent around, yet thought that he could treat me as a harlot for possibly having relations with a nineteen year old man?" She snorted. "It bothered me that he thought that he had any right when he knows that if I said anything to him, he gets angry. Just because I am a woman it does not mean that I do not have the same rights as a man."

Slowly, Gregor said, "I think he was just jealous. You know?"

"We are not… We cannot be involved with one another and he knows it."

"Yeah, I know."

"So perhaps…and I do not mean to come off as presumptuous when I say this-"

"Go ahead."

"Perhaps I could go alone. To the Uncharted Lands. With some of my soldiers, to make it inhabitable. And…govern it when it is."

He took a deep breath before slowly saying, "I always thought that you would want to be the head of the military until you died. Like, well, like Solovet."

"I did. I mean, I do. But I am clearly not fit for the job and it is selfish of me to-"

"What are you talking about? You do a fine job as-"

"We never had as many scout breaches under Solovet. We-"

"We never had a plague under you, either, but what does that matter?" He shook his head. "It doesn't. Because Solovet was not you and you are not her. You gotta learn to be your own person, Perdita. You can't constantly compare yourselves to other. Then you're York."

She made a noise of disgust. "I never liked him."

"Really? When I saw you that time in Hades Hall, you guys were fighting the gnawers side by side."

"Only due to our rank, I assure you. And he was very friendly with Calvus. He has always thought of him and I as friends. We are not. I do not like him."

"I think he knows that, Perdita," Gregor said, finally smiling. "I think that York just hangs around you when he can because he likes to annoy you."

"I do not see why he would enjoy such a thing. He-"

"York likes to make people laugh. You don't, you know, ever find anything funny. At all. So instead he tries to annoy you because it's the only thing he can get you to be. Annoyed."

She only snorted again. "He is a fine soldier, alright. But he is not humorous."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Perhaps only males get his humor."

"He makes Susannah laugh."

"He has Susannah trained to do whatever he wishes her to do."

"I wouldn't say that," Gregor said with a frown. "They just have an old style relationship. She likes to make him happy and he takes care of her. You make it sound a lot worse than it is."

"I make it sound like nothing it is not."

"You do realize that we are on the boat with not only his son, but also his bond?"

"Then I am sure they know exactly what I speak of."

Gregor clicked around for a moment before speaking again.

"Could York really do it then? Beat Calvus in a fight?"

"Mmmm. They used to spar together, when York was in the capital. They were around the same age." She paused before slowly saying, "Calvus was taller though. And he only used a single sword. I think that York gets a lot of people only due to his choice of weapon. If you gave him a battleaxe and told him to defend himself, he would die."

"I think most people are trained in only one weapon."

"Not Calvus. He knew how to use a battleaxe, could fight with a hammer, and a sword. But York did not tell you that, did he?"

"No, but-"

She laughed then, which was odd, but Gregor didn't say anything on it.

"Mareth hated him. He was older than both of us and was higher ranking. He was very…cold and calculating. He thought only about war. Mareth thought that I should not…"

"You don't have to talk about it."

She ignored him though.

"Mareth has tried to control my life for the majority of it," she told him softly then. "And if I went to the Uncharted Lands without him…"

"But every single time he tries to leave, you-"

"I just think if I went and got the village in the Uncharted Lands settled and protected, that it would give us a chance to be apart. Then, when it is complete, we could discuss him living there."

"Well," Gregor said slowly. "When we get back and all this stuff right now gets settled, then we can all discuss it with Luxa. Though I still kind of like the idea of sending Barrett out there instead-"

"I find it doubtful Luxa would ever go for that."

"Yeah," Gregor sighed, shaking his head. "I know."

Again, it was silent for awhile. Gregor clicked while Perdita sat there silently, probably thinking then on the village in the Uncharted Lands. She has seen it once, Gregor was pretty sure, right after he and Luxa were rescued, but other than that, he didn't think she knew much about it. It would be a beating to do anything with, as well as possibly dangerous, but if they were able to build walls around it, if they found funding for such a thing, then it might be a good piece of land to have.

Maybe.

Still though, Gregor never wanted to have much to do with it. Too many memories. And he wanted to keep it far away from Zander. Part of him was ready to just leave the place as a deserted town for the rest of eternity. It had housed cannibals, after all, some of which they still had the orphans of.

But then, they did need more space. And yeah, maybe they could start another town somewhere else, but the banished did already have a pre-made place, just wasting away. It was kind of like when a family got murdered in a house. Some would think it would be silly to leave it to rot or to tear it down while others would find it insensitive to live in such a place, if not downright spooky. Ultimately, Gregor wasn't sure what his opinion on the idea was.

It was something to think about though.

Wings were rustling suddenly, one of the bats waking up or something. It put Perdita on edge though as she called out.

"What is it? Andromeda?"

"It is I," Gregor heard Aether answer, his deeper cadence giving off his identity easily. "I…I merely smell something. Something off."

"Andromeda." That time, it was an order. "Awaken."

The bat made a noise, off to a far side of the boat. "Perdita, you must learn to take a softer tone."

"Aether smells-"

"I smell it too. It is…" Nike was up then, ruffling her own wings. "I cannot…"

"Someone is cooking something. It is not fish." Rhea was awake too then, apparently. "Yet it smells delightful."

Gregor did not have that great of experiences with strange roasting smells in the Dead Lands and held a hand over his nose, just in preparation.

"I swear, if it's some banished left over from the war and they're eating one another, I'm going to vomit more than Kent when he was seasick," Gregor grumbled. "Do you guys know where it is coming from? I mean, gnawers do not cook their fish. Do they?"

"No," Perdita sighed. "But we are nearing another scout. I do not know what could be roasting other than fish, but we are soon to find out."

"Again, if it's humans, I'm puking."

Suddenly, there was a bright yellow light. Flux was awake.

"What is that glorious-"

"We do not know," Perdita sighed, blinking in the suddenly brightness before getting to her feet. Then she looked at Gregor and nodded over at the fliers to which he nodded and stood as well. "But we are soon to find out."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, I know, it has been over a week, but I kinda got distracted with writing some other stuff. Not to mention, I did get an update out finally for the prequel story and start another story. Anyhow, I hope that the next chapter doesn't take as long to get out. <strong>


	21. Chapter 21

The Living Dead

Chapter 21

Nike, being the youngest of all the fliers, was the one that led Andromeda that time. Her ability to track scent was assumed better because of her age. She flew with slight hesitance though, clearly not wishing to be wrong.

"We are off path from the map," Perdita announced to them at one point. "It does not mean that it is not the scout burning something, but it is now highly unlikely."

"We never did know for certain if we got all of the banished," Gregor remarked. "God, I hope it's not any of them though."

"We have no action against them if it is," Andromeda said. "Do we?"

"Luxa decreed any banished not surrendered after we sacked their city to be killed," Perdita said. "Of course, that was when we were smoking them all out of the Dead Lands right after it happened, but it holds still now."

"Then we will kill them on sight?" Andromeda did not sound alright with that. "I do not think-"

"We will merely investigate," Perdita told her. "I rarely am out here to look around for myself anyhow."

Nike made a sharp turn suddenly, nearly tossing Gregor from her. She apologized before speaking louder to Andromeda.

"I still am unable to identify this scent," she told the other flier. "It smells of meat, but I cannot decipher what sort of meat it would be. Gnawer, perhaps?"

Andromeda only said, "I imagine them smelling rather foul."

"Not if the meat is cured properly," Nike kept up. "And there are not a lot of other things out here to eat. Insects, mainly."

"Perhaps the gnawers are roasting nibblers."

"Forbid it," Perdita groaned. "Luxa would have us in another war over that."

"I have tired of the nibblers," Andromeda told them then. "They still fall back on the fact that the Bane ran them off that time. Do you not think that we have not been wronged before? Yes, many of their pups were killed. I feel horrible for that. But that does not mean they can do as they please."

"I don't think-" Gregor started, but Andromeda cut him off.

"They do whatever they wish, Gregor. They have already began to take claim to parts of the land we have given to the diggers. Luxa is allowing it. You have seen this. No one else would be allowed such a thing. The diggers could destroy all our lands, but we are going to risk angering them over some mice?"

"Calm yourself, Andromeda," Nike sighed. "Luxa is only overly loving towards them because they saved her and Aurora's lives."

"I know this, but-"

"They will never have any of our land," Nike said then. "And I promise you that. Anything else is irrelevant to us."

"We are bound to the humans and-"

"And if the humans go too far, I will deal with it soon enough. But my mother has enough on her plate to be worried over such things. Give it a few months and I will have it all worked out."

"What exactly do you wish for her to do, Andromeda? Align you more with the diggers than us?" Perdita was starting to get put out by hearing all of that. After all, she had been part of the work to get the treaty between the nibblers and the diggers. "That would do you no good."

"That is not what I am saying, Perdita. I only mean that Luxa favors the nibblers."

"In comparison to the gnawers? Yes. But she would never jeopardize our relationship with you guys over it," Gregor spoke up. "You know that. We need you more than anything. Luxa just feels guilty because the nibblers took her in. She might not be a fair queen, but she's fiercely loyal to people that help her out."

"Luxa also knows that we need you as much as you need us," Nike said then. "You would have lost the war with the banished without us, but I would have died without you."

Andromeda still wasn't pleased though. "Even the other humans have tired of the nibblers. Mareth tells me-"

"Mareth only knows barely legal girls who have no idea what goes on in the Underland," Perdita told her, no doubt frowning. "And I think that our conversation has come full circle now. Enough. We are done."

Rolling his eyes, Gregor let out a long sigh before shaking his head. York had warned him about traveling with all women. Boy was he wishing that he had listened to him on that one.

They flew in silence for awhile. Gregor spent his time clicking, though he did so softly as not to disturb Nike. He wasn't sure how hard it was to trail a scent and feared screwing her up. A few times, they had to turn around or she lost the smell, but Andromeda was always there to help her out. Honestly, Gregor was just hoping that it wasn't human flesh burning wherever the trail led them.

"The smell is stronger," Andromeda announced to them eventually. "Can you smell-"

"It is awful," Perdita remarked. "You find this-"

"In small dosages," Mareth's bond assured her.

"The closer we get, the worst it is, I will admit, but it still perplexes me," Nike said. "Do you suppose then, Andromeda, that it is gnawer meat?"

"I do not know. If it is, would you be willing to eat it?"

That made her laugh, though Andromeda sounded serious. After sobering, Nike said, "If whoever is cooking it is offering."

Though he was a meat kind of a guy, Gregor never properly liked the idea of eating his friends. At all. And although gnawers weren't exactly the coziest of allies, he didn't want to be, well, gnawing on them either!

After many, many twists and turns, there was finally a light. It was far off in the distance, but it was enough to get their stomachs all knotted up. Or for Gregor that's what it did. Perdita seemed more interested than nervous. Honestly, he was not thinking what was waiting for them had their best intentions in mind.

The smell was almost completely unbearable at that point for Gregor. He did not wish to seem weak in front of the others however and took to breathing through his mouth. Not that it helped completely. He could almost taste it then. Ugh.

The light was coming from a fire, of course, which illuminated the cliff that it was being burned upon. There, in the light, was undoubtedly a Regalian scout, huddled over as close to the fire as possible. Up on spokes over the huge blaze was some sort of cleaned meat.

"Prisca." Perdita jumped from Andromeda before the flier landed. Rushing over to the woman, she said, "What has happened?"

The woman looked up slowly at them, face sullen and void of emotion. She didn't even speak as Perdita came to stand before her, hardly even moved.

Dropping to her knees in front of the other woman then, Perdita reached out with her one arm to rest it on the others shoulder.

"What has happened? You are not meant to be here. I-"

"My bond…she died." Her voice was hollow and dead, her facing looking none the better. "Gnawers got to us. My relief never came. I waited and waited, but-"

"That can not be true," Perdita told her. "You should not be here. Caeso was supposed to relieve you. _He did_ relieve you. I have the reports. He and his bond sent you to your next location and reported that you were-"

"Perdita," Nike said, stopping her then. "Clearly something went wrong."

"No. Caeso we…we have served together." She looked back at Gregor and the others then. "Andromeda, you know him. And his bond, Hyperion? They-"

Gregor only shook his head before saying, "I think we finally found the kink in the chain."

Perdita would have glared at him for that had she had a chance. It suddenly happened upon her to think less of herself and more of the woman in front of her. Springing to action, she stood before looking to Gregor.

"Help her to her feet then," she ordered him before glancing at the scout. "We have a vessel, Prisca. And when we return to it, I shall figure a way to get you home immediately. Safely. Fret not longer."

Gregor went over before looking down at her. "Can you stand or must I carry you?"

It was slow for her to stand and she almost immediately fell back over once she was to her feet. Gregor caught her though and immediately took on most of her weight, allowing her to lean heavily against him.

"This is Nike," Gregor said as he helped her over to the flier. "Perhaps you know one another?"

"No," Nike said, shaking her head slightly. "But-"

"My bond was Pontus," the woman said slowly as she climbed onto the princess' back. "And he spoke highly of you as a future leader."

"Pontus," Andromeda said softly as Perdita went to work extinguishing the fire by dousing it with the sand and rocks around.

"You knew him?" Prisca looked up then, over at Andromeda. She had dropped her head though and said no more. Gregor only went over to Perdita to speak softly.

"Now what?"

"Now I need to focus on getting Prisca home," Perdita said. "Then, I must go over my map and track where Caeso is. He was supposed to be here, of course, but as he is not, that means he has to be somewhere. My other scouts, perhaps they…but no…I…I must…"

Gregor just reached out to pat her on the shoulder. It was starting to look as if, once again, her scouts were proving untrustworthy.

"Hey," he whispered. "Let's just get back to the boat and go from there, huh? We'll figure this out. We always do."

She glanced up at him before nodding. He was right. They always did.

Gregor rode back with Perdita on Andromeda, as he did not want to disturb Prisca. She seemed rather withdrawn and did not wish to cause her anymore problems than the ones she was going through.

Andromeda was eerily silent and Gregor could tell it wasn't just out of respect. She must have known Pontus, the way that she was acting. Perdita was mumbling softly to herself scenarios in her head in which she could come out of the entire thing without an traitors in her ranks.

It was impossible.

"More humans to feed. Great," was the first thing out of Flux's mouth when they arrived back at the boat. Nike allowed Prisca to get off her back before Andromeda landed. Dorian asked no questions however and just immediately went to work on helping the woman.

"What's wrong? What was the smell?" Kent, however, had not matured enough to know when to butt out of things. "Gregor? Perdita? What-"

"Be quiet." Perdita sent him a single look that made him shrink back to a far side of the boat. Gregor only sighed before looking to Flux.

"Maybe a white light instead of this blue, huh?" Gregor asked. "Dorian needs to see, you know."

"You are making commands of me then? As if I am-"

"It has been another hour and I have still not been able to kill a damn thing. You really want to play with me, shiner? Huh?"

"Gregor." Perdita turned her glare onto him. "Go sit with Kent. Now. Less you can make yourself useful."

The fliers were all speaking then to one another, taking places perched upon the sides of the boat. All except Andromeda. It only took Nike a few moments of speaking in their own tongue to Rhea before she went off to an opposite side of the boat.

"What's wrong, Rhea?" Kent took notice of this and figured it was okay if he at least spoke to her. "Are you-"

"Not now, Kent," was all she told him. He looked concerned, but Gregor only scratched the back of his neck, truly feeling useless as well. Rhea must have known Pontus as well. He'd have to ask Nike about it.

It took a few minutes for things to become calm again. Perdita went to work staring at her map, studying it for a few minutes in silence. Gregor went to stand by her, awaiting instruction.

"Aether," she finally spoke. "You are not only male, but also have the largest wingspan. Tell me, do you believe yourself to be able to go the furthest distance with a passenger?"

He looked up when she spoke to him before slowly saying, "No disrespect to my fellow fliers, but yes. Of course."

"Then I wish for you to take Prisca to the nibblers. They are the closest trusted ally. They will house the both of you for a night and then you would be able to make a journey back to Regalia the next day."

Aether nodded. "Understood."

"The problem is that if you go, you may not come back. And who will go with the two of you?" Perdita groaned then before saying, "Kent, would you-"

"No way. I have to stay with you."

"I will go back," Dorian spoke up. He had given Prisca something from a bottle, though Gregor figured it was something for her shakes. She was feverish. There was no telling how long she had been living alone, in the cold, dank Dead Lands. "With her. Aether is my bond, after all."

"You are our medic."

"I will leave half my supplies. Kent's brother is Howard, yes? Certainly you have learned much from him as well as your mother, Kent."

The boy had taken to sulking in the corner and only stared at them wide-eyed. "Uh-"

"We cannot be without a medic," Gregor said with a shake of his head. "Kent, you have to go."

"No way. I-"

"I will go alone." Prisca was leaning against the back of the boat then, huddled under the only blanket on the boat. It hadn't been used much, other than by Kent when he slept. Dorian had thrown it over her shoulders though, in an attempt to warm her. "With the flier. Aether. If you will take me."

"If Perdita so commands it. And Dorian, if you agree."

He hesitated before bowing his head. "I am the same as you, Aether. It is as you command, General."

She took a deep breath. "Kent would be no help to anyone anyhow. He would only be a liability to you, Aether, if you ran into trouble."

"It does not sound completely safe, sending them out alone," Nike said slowly. She was ignored though. They had not other option.

"There is a direct line that I could show you, Aether, from the point we are around to the nibbler territory in the valley. They are not the same nibblers that helped Luxa, but rather hail from a further south land." She walked over to him then, holding out her map. "I was there before, however, not many months ago. They are kind people. And we will repay them when this is all said and done."

"Promise them a consideration to some of our land in the Uncharted Lands." Gregor looked up suddenly, unable to stop himself. "They have wished for a new area for a long time now and Luxa and I are going to be excavating the banished's old territory. I know for there is a good river there. I-"

"Gregor." Perdita gave him a hard look then. "You have no idea what-"

"I am King. And this is one of my scouts that needs help." He nodded at Aether. "You will say that King Gregor has promised them consideration to some of our land."

Aether dropped his head then, bowing it. "As you say, warrior."

Perdita did not look to happy then, but did go to work explaining a path to Aether to take. Dorian went to work quickly then, checking Prisca for broken bones or any other ailments.

"Aether," Gregor spoke to the flier when Perdita was done. Making sure that Kent was busy with finding something to eat, he said softly, "When you get back to Regalia, I want you to speak with Susannah. Do you know her?"

"I am sure someone could refer her to me."

"Right, well, tell her who you are and that Kent's doing fine."

"I do not-"

"I know that he's not, but she's his mother, you know? And she's real worried about him." Gregor shook his head slightly. "Please? It would get a lot of guilt off my back."

"I will see to it then, warrior, if it is help towards you."

"Thanks," Gregor said, smiling slightly then. "And make sure that the nibblers know that it's just a consideration, not a promise."

"I will convey it as such, Overlander."

"And I'll watch out for Dorian while you're gone," Gregor told him then. Finally, Aether laughed that odd flier chuckle.

"Believe me, warrior, Dorian does not need such a thing."

* * *

><p>"I do not believe that you should be promising the nibblers anything," Perdita told Gregor as they sat in the boat later. "Especially those nibblers. It shall look as if-"<p>

"I am giving them consideration. That means-"

"I know what it means, but you must also realize what it sounds like."

Gregor shook his head. "I was out there, Perdita, for a few days. And you were out there too, while we were checking the area out. The few banished we speared told us of the creatures there. Many of them had already been beaten back by the banished. That town was held by them relatively easily, as well as the surrounding areas. We will no doubt look into giving that away. Why not-"

"You heard Andromeda. Many feel the same way. That we give into the nibblers too easily."

"They are one of the few reasons that my wife lives. I can do whatever I-"

"But you cannot. And that is what I have been trying to tell Luxa. Everything relates to everything," Perdita told him. "Luxa sees things in a very basic way. There is us, the good guys, the fliers, our friends, the nibblers and crawlers, the weak ones we protect, and then the gnawers, the evil ones. But it is not so. Many live in the Underland and they all have feelings and needs. Not just the ones that we find to be in our main sect."

Kent was asleep, as always, over in one corner and all the fliers were resting other than Rhea, who was fishing. Dorian had taken to trying to reason with Flux to find a better pace at eating, using the guise that as a medic, he did not wish to see him get overweight or something. Honestly, they were running low of food and all knew that soon enough, Flux would be taking off.

When Gregor would not say anything else, Perdita only shook her head before changing the subject.

"I do not know what we are going to do about the scouts," she admitted to him then. "It is most upsetting to me to admit, but it is appearing that my scouts might be compromised."

"Look, let's just get to the next guy, alright, and go from there," Gregor told her with a sigh. "It's the only thing to do, really."

"I just cannot believe that Caeso would do such a thing," she said with a frown. "He is friends with both Mareth and I. We both know him well."

"It's no use, playing it over in your mind now. We just need to check in on the other scouts."

"Not to interrupt," Flux eventually spoke up, apparently just going to ignore Dorian, who he actually cut off. "But did we ever find out what that delectable smell was?"

"I did," Dorian spoke up, not one to be ignored. "I asked her before I got her settled on Aether. It was gnawer."

Gregor snorted. "I'm gonna have to tell Nike she was right. She'll enjoy that."

"Your fliers seem most upset," Flux remarked, but Perdita only shook her head.

"Who is not upset?" she asked back with a sigh. "When Prisca and Aether arrive in Regalia, Luxa will no doubt begin forming ammunition against me and my scouts."

"Stop worrying about what's going on in Regalia. You have to focus on this. We're going to get to the next scout soon. We'll go from there, remember?" Gregor gave her a long look. The last thing that he needed was Perdita losing it. "How far to the next scouting point?"

"Another hour or so," she sighed, hanging her head. "This is the most travel I have done by water and it is not enjoyable."

"In the Overland, people, like, pay money to go on these big boats and travel."

Perdita only sighed. "Maybe we should have used two vessels. Only another mistake on my part."

"You cannot start with the self-pity stuff, Perdita," Gregor told her then with a frown. "Honestly, you just can't. If the scouts are compromised, then we need your full attention on the problem. Huh? Tell me about Caeso, huh? And Prisca, maybe? So I get a little background."

That was his only hope of distracting her and it was working.

"Well," she began slowly. "Prisca has only been a scout for two years now. She was investigated during the banished breaching, but nothing came of it. She and Pontus also had many ties to people in Regalia and the flier territory. No, they would betray no one.

"I have been getting reports from her, supposedly from her new location," Perdita continued then. "Or at least I thought I was. She was supposed to be out of this area months ago. Caeso was meant to relieve her with his bond Hyperion. He has even sent me reports of this area. I do not…know how this could have happened."

"You trust Caeso then?"

"Of course," she said, frowning at Gregor then. "I have known him since we were children."

"But do you think he is capable of selling you out to the gnawers?"

"Well," she started slowly before shaking her head. "He is not bloodthirsty against them like some are, but he has never shown any sympathy on their behalf."

"Then there has to be another answer, right?" Gregor asked. "Maybe Caeso has been taken or stranded as well and it is another scout that is causing problems."

"Maybe," Perdita agreed softly. "I just…"

"How do you get information from your scouts?" Dorian spoke up. "Do they check in or-"

"I have other men ride around with their bonds and pick up their report scrolls as well as deliver more parchment to them. It takes days to complete," she told them. "When the man leaves Regalia, he and his bonds go around to the closest scouts first, rest, and then the next day go to the next. I have teams of men to do this, in a full rotation, so I am constantly getting reports in."

"Hmmm. It sounds very complex."

"It is not as hard as it sounds," she assured him. "But when something goes wrong, it seems as if everything goes wrong. Horrible wrong."

"Being a scout is a very hard job," Dorian said then. "I would not be shocked to find one turned by a gnawer."

Perdita shook her head. "Solovet never has such a problem."

"That's because Solovet did not need scouts. She had actual battlefields spread across the Dead Lands because she was always fighting with gnawers," Gregor told her. "It is harder to keep scouts sane during peace. There is nothing for them to really do out here."

Perdita only shook her head before going back to her map. "I always wanted to be the head of the military. This is my punishment."

"Are you kidding? You're the best head of the military ever!"

Great. Kent was up.

Glancing over at him, Gregor found that he was sitting up then, staring at Perdita.

"Really. Even Father thinks so. He says that you have done a wonderful job," Kent gushed. Perdita hardly even looked up though. Kent wasn't deterred. "You have gotten us peace with many different species for one thing. And your death tolls in comparison to your predecessors is-"

"The more you speak the more I wish I had sent you back with Aether and Prisca."

Kent stopped speaking then, his gaze on her changing as he slowly started to frown. Gregor made a face seeing this before lowering his voice and speaking only to Perdita.

"Hey, I know that you're in a bad mood, but don't take it out on him, alright? He's only trying to be helpful."

"Try being the operative word," Perdita said dryly before getting to her feet and walking to the other side of the vessel. Leaning over the side, she looked around before spotting Rhea, still flying around somewhere ahead of them. She called out for the flier, waiting until she appeared to follow her instructions.

"The rest of us are no longer allowed to eat the rations. They must all go to Flux now," she said. Kent, hearing that, started to protest, but a look from Gregor shut that down. "I would like for you to fish for us, if at all possible."

"Of course," she agreed. "But I fear that only Kent will enjoy raw fish."

"And only partially," he remarked softly, the thought of eating only fish for the remainder of the trip annoying to him.

"Believe me, it beats starving," Perdita said. "A fish for each of us a day would be enough, I would think."

"I will catch you all many fish, if I am able to," Rhea told her laughing slightly. It was clear that she was still rather uncomfortable though, mourning for Pontus, Gregor was pretty sure. "I have seen the Overlander eat before anyhow. He will require at least ten a day. And Kent is still a boy. He needs many as well. And Dorian, you seem rather strong. Ten for you as well? I will get to work then."

The last thing Gregor wanted was raw fish, but they desperately needed to keep Flux around. There was really no other option.

When Nike awoke, she went to work helping Rhea fish. Andromeda slept for some time though. She seemed most effected by Pontus' death.

Dorian was the most bothered by eating raw fish. Not that he complained. It was just obvious that he found it disgusting and Gregor was afraid that it would make him sick, honestly. Perdita only ate, as she had suggested for them all, one fish. The rest of hers she allowed Kent to eat who, though he complained heavily, was eating far more than his fair share of food.

"It is time to find the next scout," Perdita announced eventually. Andromeda was awake then and fluttering her wings. "Gregor-"

"I want to go," Kent said that time. "Can I go?"

"No," Gregor told him. "We stay in pairs now."

"Then you and Dorian stay here. I want to go."

"No," Gregor said again as he looked for Nike. She had finished eating herself then and was clearly excited by the idea of going off. "You are-"

"Rhea and I have not gotten to have any fun. It isn't fair! We-"

"Dude, what did we say about being mature?" Gregor shook his head at him. "Be a big boy, Kent. Life isn't fair. You're not coming. Get the fuck over it."

It was not until they were up in the air a few minutes later that Gregor spoke again. And then it was to Nike.

"I feel bad for Dorian, getting stuck with Kent."

Nike only said, "You and Perdita are the ones that brought him along. Remember that."

"Yeah, I know," Gregor sighed, glancing over at the general. Perdita and Andromeda were flying a little ways away from them, neither speaking. Perdita was no doubt still beating herself up over Caeso and Andromeda was probably upset over Pontus still.

"So what's the deal then? When Pontus? Was he Rhea and Andromeda's friend or something?"

"Or something. Mate at one time or another to both of them, I am nearly certain."

Gag. Gregor frowned before saying, "Yeah, didn't want to know that."

"You asked."

"I did," he agreed. Then he paused, taking a moment before asking, "So what do you think about this Caeso business?"

"Perdita says she knows him and has faith in him. For that I will not think ill of him yet," she said. "However, Perdita does not find fault in any scout. Why would she? They are handpicked. If we uncover something about any scout, she will be shocked and dismayed. She cannot help it."

"I thought that maybe we'd uncover some underhanded things with the scouts, but I mostly was hoping that we'd find the Reclaimer or Henry."

"That was not our intent with this mission, Gregor."

"Yeah, well, no one else seems to remember that the Reclaimer is what started this whole thing. If I could just get in there, kill him or track him or whatever, everything would be suddenly be fixed. Right?"

"Other than Henry, yes, but-"

"I do not fear Henry or the Living Dead."

"You do not fear anything," Nike sighed, though she did not seem to think that was a good thing.

"Of course not. Fear is for the weak."

"Everything that you do not like is for the weak. I'm sure that you will end up telling Luxa that changing diapers is for the weak."

"Isn't it?"

They were all on high edge as they sought out the next scout. He was far harder to find than the other two. Perdita assured them that was a good thing, as that meant more than likely he was in hiding, as a scout should be. They would just have to scan the area in order to find him.

"I can search from the ground," Gregor offered up, though he was immediately shut down by all three of his traveling mates.

Ugh. He really was beginning to wish that he was traveling with Mareth, York, and Barrett. They would have all just done whatever they wanted, gotten into tons of battles by that point, and had an overall good time. So far, all Gregor had gotten accomplished was resolving his friendship with Perdita after bringing up her dead fiancé, finding out that the fliers had…mates (which he knew, of course, but still. No one wants to think about their friends have sex. Period.) and saved the life of a scout. Only the last one was making the whole thing worthwhile.

Oh, and he found out that Kent got seasick easily. That was pretty much useless too.

Still, they were slowly making some headway. Or at least he thought. If they could just find the next scout, then maybe they'd be able to get some more information about Caeso.

"I can hear Gaia," Andromeda announced eventually. She and Nike had been calling out for the flier in their native tongue once Perdita told them who was supposed to be stationed there. "Can you not, Nike?"

"I can," she agreed. "She is in distress. We should get to her quickly now."

"Lead the way," Gregor remarked, resting a hand then, finally, on the hilt of his sword. Thank God. It was time for some action.

…Hopefully.

* * *

><p><strong>Short chapter, yeah, but I'm definitely reaching a lull in this story now. Sigh. <strong>


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